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Outage dampens shopping spirits

A blackout interrupts activities from Port Richey to Weeki Wachee. It wasn't the first time in recent days.

By ASJYLYN LODER and MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published November 28, 2005

	[Times photo: Lance Aram Rothstein]
	Ken Warzyn with the Citizen Service Unit of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office directs traffic at Denton Avenue and U.S. 19 in Hudson. No traffic accidents were atrributed to the blackout.

A transmission line failure knocked out electricity Sunday to more than 30,000 customers in Pasco and Hernando counties, snarling traffic and closing businesses along U.S. 19 during one of the year's busiest shopping days.

The blackout began about 6 a.m. and straddled U.S. 19 for more than 20 miles, from Port Richey through Weeki Wachee. It was 3 p.m. before power was fully restored.

Nearly all customers west of U.S. 19 lost power, with thousands of customers east of the highway also without power.

Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative repair crews identified the problem as a faulty Progress Energy transmission line connection at State Road 50 and U.S. 19 in Weeki Wachee, said Ernie Holzhauer, Withlacoochee communications manager.

Garrick Francis, a spokesman for the Raleigh, N.C.-based Progress Energy, said, "It seems as though our system feeds the Withlacoochee system. We had a transmission line failure. Withlacoochee generally has the ability to reroute power through a different location, but apparently they had some equipment problems and couldn't do that."

Officials said a 110,000-volt transmission line failed at a connection where electricity is redirected. A wire connecting two lines, called a "jumper," burned in half, Holzhauer said. But repair crews do not know why.

After Progress Energy restored the transmission line and re-energized the system, Withlacoochee suffered additional equipment failures, delaying power restoration, Francis said.

Withlacoochee did have some equipment down because of a Thanksgiving night outage due to a problem along the same line, Holzhauer said. Problems encountered after Progress Energy re-energized the system were minimal and quickly overcome, he said.

"Our engineering staff will meet with Progress Energy's engineering staff on Monday," Holzhauer said. "We'll investigate and ensure that this doesn't happen again."

The same transmission line failed on Thanksgiving, causing a 17-minute outage shortly after 11 p.m., and a three-hour failure early Friday. That outage was attributed to problems with an insulator in Hudson.

Additional outages caused by traffic accidents Saturday night and Sunday afternoon affected another 3,100 customers in Pasco and Hernando counties. A 90-minute outage beginning at 10:30 p.m. Saturday left 2,500 customers in Spring Hill in Hernando County in the dark. That outage was blamed on a hit-and-run at Alberto Court, Holzhauer said.

A fatal accident at 2 p.m. Sunday near State Road 52 and Shadow Ridge Boulevard downed a power line and left 600 customers without electricity, Holzhauer said. Repair crews had to wait for the coroner to remove the body before proceeding with repairs, Holzhauer said. Those customers had power by 5 p.m.

Throughout the transmission line blackout, Hernando and Pasco County sheriff's deputies directed traffic past dead traffic lights.

No traffic accidents were attributed to the blackout.

The rolling power restorations left a patchwork of businesses open along the U.S. 19 corridor. In Hernando County, the Brass Monkey Tattoo Parlor was in business, but Spring Hill Lanes was dark. The Pickled Parrot served cold beer and the Bucs game while Hooters' waiters sat around on the deck wearing sweat pants instead of their signature orange hot pants.

At noon, Debra Balcolm, store manager of Shoe Carnival on SR 50 east of Mariner Boulevard, sat in front of the store with two other employees, waiting to be sent home or for the lights to come on. Meanwhile, the Wal-Mart in the neighboring parking lot never lost power and was flush with shoppers.

The outage nearly canceled the matinee of Christmas in New York at Show Palace Dinner Theatre on U.S. 19 in Hudson.

Co-owner Sal Sessa said electricity blinked back on about 11 a.m., leaving barely enough time to prepare lunch for the 400 theatergoers arriving at 1 p.m.

"We had to start cooking earlier, even when we had no lights," Sessa said. With flashlights guiding their way, Sessa said the kitchen staff prepared hams and chickens in gas ovens.

Some retailers worked through the blackout with generators. At Target on U.S. 19 at Spring Hill, shoppers searched for bargains in the dark.

Bonnie Ring emerged into the sunlight bearing her purchases. "I started at 8:30 this morning and this is the first place I've been. It's a little dark, but at least they're open and you can shop," she said. On her way to Target, she passed by Kmart and Big Lots, but both were closed.

The Home Depot north of Target was running on generators.

Kim Lassiter, a sales manager, said, "It's a heck of a thing, but you're closed on (Thanksgiving), so you have to try to make up the sales." The store shut down its paint mixer, power saws and carpet cutter, Lassiter said.

At the Hooters restaurant in Spring Hill, the waiters snacked and drank sodas, wearing oversized T-shirts over their traditional tops. They served warm draft beer to three diehards.

Carrie Piechowicz bemoaned the loss of a day's tips, having expected a banner day because of the Bucs' game. "That's okay," she sighed. "At least I didn't have to put on my panty hose."

--Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352 754-6127.

[Last modified November 28, 2005, 01:04:15]