Posted on 07/29/2017 7:24:29 AM PDT by Steven Scharf
Thousands evacuate North Carolina's Outer Banks after power outage By Joe Sterling and Rose Schmidt, CNN Updated 9:07 AM ET, Sat July 29, 2017
(CNN)Kalla Bruhl and her boyfriend's family had their Outer Banks vacation in North Carolina short-circuited.
They were among thousands of tourists on Ocracoke and Hatteras islands who have been ordered to pack up and evacuate after a major power outage early Thursday. A transmission line was cut during construction work on a bridge, knocking out electricity to the two tourist meccas.
"We were all upset," said Bruhl, 22, of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, who left Ocracoke by ferry. "We got out of there early; it was so hot in the house."
. . .
Evacuation orders Dare County issued a mandatory evacuation order that went into effect at 6 a.m. Saturday "due to life safety issues from the loss of reliable electrical power on Hatteras Island and growing uncertainty as to when repairs to the main transmission line will be completed to enable restoration of full power to the island."
. . .
The outages rolled through Hatteras and Ocracoke after PCL Construction, the company building the new Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, told the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative that it "drove a steel casing into the underground transmission cable that runs between the south end of the Bonner Bridge and the overhead riser pole."
. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I recently began working as a utility locater in another state so I have some small insight into this. I am glad to be watching this from afar.
I am very surprised that this line was hit. A line this major should not have even been in the construction zone, let alone in a dig zone.
Second thought, Why doesn't Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke have redundant power transmission from the mainland?
I have seen Facebook posts of snowflakes freaking out because there vacation has been ruined, including people complaining about the lack of air conditioning. You are on the freaking ocean. Go outside and enjoy it.
It’s a busy vacation week and unfortunate, but it could be a lot worse. Still, they have my sympathy. I know what it’s like to have horrible weather like this after spending a pretty penny for what I hoped would be a lovely time.
This has been previously posted. Apparently on-island generation was removed at some distant past point.
I still want to know if Miss Dig was on vacay at the beach.
USA TODAY
No light in sight: North Carolina barrier islands could be without power for weeks
Emily Bohatch,
July 28, 2017
A power outage on two remote barrier islands in North Carolina is expected to linger anywhere from a few days to a few weeks as crews work feverishly to repair a severed underground transmission line.
About 9,000 homes on Hatteras and Ocracoke are in the dark after a construction crew building a new bridge accidentally cut the line Thursday, North Carolina Electric Cooperatives spokeswoman Kristie Aldridge said.
. . .
If there is a portable power generator rental company within 5 or 6 hours of the outer banks, it could make a quick fortune.
Hatteras and Outer Banks brought up nothing recent in the search.
“I still want to know if Miss Dig was on vacay at the beach.”
It is called “North Carolina 811” in NC. It is called “Dig Safe” in other states.
When you have a vacay home on a remote barrier island memorize these three words: whole house generator.
>>>I am surprised nothing has been posted here about it. <<<
10,000 tourists ordered to evacuate Ocracoke Island due to power outage
Posted on 7/27/2017, 7:50:07 PM by Rebelbase
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3572600/posts
]] Insert snarky comment here [[
Evacuation ? Without power will North Carolina’s Outer Banks sink ?
Mandatory evacuation??? What gives the government the right? What if I don’t need electricity, e.g., have own generator or are camping without need for local electricity?
Good questions.
Someone should call Vlad. The Russians made pretty quick work running a new powerline across the Black Sea to Crimea a few years ago.
It shouldn't take weeks. They know where the break is. Dig a hole, splice the line, fill the hole in. Spare no expense working round the clock. Send the bill to the contractor on the bridge project.
Someone probably wants the whole line re-routed from the bridge to the pole to give them more room to work. That would take longer.
Somebody screwed up big-time.
Har!
I'm waiting for Hank Johnson to observe that the island should just be moved closer to the mainland. ;-)
“Somebody screwed up big-time. “
The economic impact at the height of the tourist season will be bigger than a major hurricane in September.
Nights in Rodanthe?
Affirmative action hired engineers? Sounds like government engineers not doing what they were hired to do.
More like lowest bid contractor.
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