NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us wrote:
> Here in Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing project in
> North America we alternate from days with shut-down of elevator
> service with days of hot water shut down with at least one notice that
> BOTH may go down at one time.
> This is to "conserve power". We are one block away from BIG ALLIS
> part of the electricity generating complex that supplies THIRTY PER
> CENT of all power to NYC.
> At this rate, the entire city could have electricity as reliable as
> Iraq.
Including Fran in 96, we've had 4 events which have wreaked the power
distribution system around the Raleigh, NC area. Since the 1st high
voltage 3 phase feeder switch point for the distribution out of the
local substation is on "my" pole I get lots of trucks in front of my
house during these times and at various other times. Every time I or a
neighbor has asked about underground power making this easier,
everyone working on the repairs has said they would rather do a "Fran"
every year than deal with underground power. And this is from the
mouth of someone who's on their 3rd 18 hour day in a row. It always
has more problems, insulation always leaks at some point, and when
there is a problem it's 10 to 100 times more difficult to fix.
As I understand things from the previous post about the Queens outage,
it's mostly underground power there. And to make matters worse, the
airport wound up to 1000s of uncollected and/or mis-routed bags. And
trying to deliver them to people when the power is out around the area
just makes everything worse. Many folks with in house cordless phones
(and that's all they have) are discovering the reason some of us keep
those old WE 2500s on a shelf in the closet.
> Reporter, told us today in the Sunday paper that a ninety year old
> section of the main pipe had given out. PAT]
The folks on the TV show This Old House have said that there are still
hollowed out wooden logs carrying water under some streets in Boston.
As a side note related to my comment about the switch point being on my
pole. For some reason my transformer is connected directly to the
substation side of the feeder line while most all houses and businesses
are connected to local stubs fused to the feeders. It's nice to get
power back when 99% of the area is still dark.
DLR (news23@raleighthings.com)