Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 13, 1994 TAG: 9402130147
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NOTE: below JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Power may not be restored for many households for several days because the outages are so widespread.
Appalachian Power Co.'s crews have been busy since early Friday trying to repair downed lines in the Roanoke and New River valleys. Company officials said the process is slow.
"There are hundreds of trees and limbs that have fallen on lines," Tobie Eaton, manager of Apco's Roanoke division, said.
The worst conditions were in Apco's Pulaski Division, where more than 24,000 customers were without power at 11 p.m. Saturday, down from 33,000 at noon Saturday. The Pulaski Division includes the New River Valley and Carroll, Wythe, Grayson and Bland counties.
The bulk of the outages were in Montgomery, Floyd and Pulaski counties, according to Glenda Wohlford, administrative assistant for the Pulaski Division. Nearly 500 workers - Apco personnel, tree trimmers and out-of-state crews - were on the job Saturday, Wohlford said.
Wohlford said it would be "well into next week" before service is restored for everyone.
Wohlford said some ice-laden trees and limbs had fallen on lines that had been repaired. "We're making some progress, but it's devastating," she said.
In the Roanoke Valley, 13,400 customers remained without electricity late Saturday, down from 15,000 earlier in the day.
Eaton said the outages were scattered throughout the Roanoke Valley and not concentrated in any section.
Tom Jobes, assistant Roanoke Division manager, said he hopes the crews can substantially reduce the number of customers without power by today. But some might not get power until Monday or Tuesday.
Jobes said repairs to a main power line in Botetourt County were near completion at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Apco hoped to have service restored to several thousand customers by early this morning.
A total of 350 customers were without power Saturday night in Franklin County.
Residents served by the Craig and Botetourt Electric Cooperative also were without power for the second day because a transmission line from Apco's Cloverdale station was downed. Crews expect to restore that service by today, Jobes said.
Power also was out for several hundred customers in other counties in Apco's Roanoke division but outside the Roanoke Valley. This included 640 in Franklin County.
Apco has brought crews from Ohio Power Co. to help with the job. Other crews from South Carolina were to arrive in Roanoke late Saturday, Jobes said.
"We're getting all of the help that we can," Jobes said.
No storm-related deaths or serious injuries were reported, but there were some traffic accidents.
In the Roanoke Valley, dozens of people flocked to stores to buy supplies and emergency generators for appliances and small heaters.
Baker Brothers in Roanoke had sold more than 70 emergency generators since Friday, including a truckload that arrived early Saturday.
Another truckload was scheduled to arrive at midnight Saturday. Owner Joe Baker said he would reopen his store when the generators - which sell for about $600 - got to Roanoke.
Baker said he usually sells about a dozen generators a winter. But the storm has created an unprecedented demand for them.
Many people without power were using extra sweaters, blankets and fireplaces to keep warm.
Many Roanoke Valley residents who lost power went to motels or stayed with friends rather than stay in an emergency shelter that opened Friday night.
Only four people stayed at the Red Cross shelter at the Salem Civic Center. Emergency service officials said the shelter would remain open Saturday night. Two people had arrived by 6 p.m.
Roanoke Valley governments asked the Red Cross to open the shelter because of the large number of households without power.
"I want to be sure that people have a place to go if they are cold," said Wanda Reed, Roanoke's emergency services manager.
The Airport Days Inn was full Friday night, and many people planned to stay there again Saturday night as they waited for power to be restored.
Nearly two-dozen families stayed at the Airport Comfort Inn Friday night, and most remained there Saturday night.
"I've got people booked from Lynchburg because all the motels and hotels are full up there," said Jerry Bowles, manager of the motel's front desk.
At the Howard Johnson's motel and restaurant in Daleville, many residents from Fincastle and northern Botetourt County bedded down Saturday for their second night away from home.
The threat of flooding in the Roanoke Valley did not materialize Saturday because the temperature stayed in the 30s and the ice melted slowly.
The 3 inches of frozen precipitation will melt more quickly today as the temperature rises into the mid-40s. The forecast calls for a chance of rain, but it is expected to end by mid-morning.
The National Weather Service said the river will rise again as the melting continues, but it is expected to crest between 7 feet and 9 feet.
"The meltdown in the New River Valley could cause the river to rise, but it shouldn't cause any major problems," said Donato Cacciapaglia, a National Weather Service specialist.
The ground is saturated and most of the thawing ice will flow into streams. If the frozen precipitation thaws gradually, he said, the streams can absorb it without flooding.
Reed, Roanoke's emergency services manager, said the river would have to reach 13 feet to cause serious flooding.
Most of the ice-clogged drains on Roanoke's streets were cleared by Saturday and the ponds of water at some intersections or low-lying places drained into the underground pipes.
The Roanoke Regional Airport was open Saturday, but there were some delays in flights because of weather problems at other airports along the East Coast.
Ice-clearing crews for the Virginia Department of Transportation continued to scrape secondary roads Saturday. The main roads had been cleared, but some secondary routes still had icy spots.
The state has hired outside crews to help remove fallen trees from the roads.
by CNB