THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 15, 1994 TAG: 9410150201
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
It has happened to almost everyone who works with computers: You're typing feverishly on a report or data-entry project, edging toward the final keystrokes that will end hours of work, when - BLINK! click, click, click.
A second of darkness, a flash on the screen and the sound of the computer restarting - without your latest efforts.
A quick power interruption is all it takes to wipe out a lot of work for computer users who don't use a battery override or save their files often.
``You're going to be totally frustrated,'' said Claude Wells, operations director for North Carolina Power in Manteo. ``They can lose all of that with one power blink.''
North Carolina Power is warning Outer Banks residents to be especially vigilant this time of year, when a combination of northeasterly winds, salt, and dew or light rain can wreak havoc on electric power.
A weeklong northeaster, coupled with dew-causing temperatures, prompted officials to declare the year's third ``Salt Watch'' on Wednesday afternoon, Wells said. The watch was canceled late Friday afternoon after heavy rains washed away salt residue, officials said.
Problems arise when wind from the northeast deposits salt from ocean sprays onto power equipment. When mixed with dew or light rain, the salty solution becomes a strong conductor of electricity, power officials said.
The dripping solution coats insulators and other power equipment, creating an ``arc'' of electricity that can blow fuses, disrupt insulators and cause flashes at the top of power poles.
Conditions usually remain bad until power officials are able to wash down the equipment or until weather patterns change, as they did late this week.
``The only thing that will eliminate it is a good rain,'' Wells said. ``The really ideal rain starts hard. . . . A light sprinkle is the absolute worst thing that we can have.''
Despite northeast winds all week, officials did not issue the watch until Wednesday, when it looked like conditions were right for the salt to blend with water and become electrically charged.
``What we try not to do is issue them every time there is salt present,'' Wells said. ``We don't want people to get complacent about it.''
During a Salt Watch, customers should prepare for power interruptions by stocking emergency light sources and battery-powered clocks, and protecting computer files, officials said. If significant outages or brownouts occur, officials declare a Salt Warning.
About 10 salt-related outages occurred Thursday morning under a light dew, Wells said.
Primarily because of its location, its closeness to the Gulf Stream and its weather patterns, the Outer Banks is perhaps the most affected area along the East Coast when it comes to salt-related outages, officials said.
But that doesn't mean catastrophe can't be avoided by taking precautions.
``Save your files'' when working with computers, Wells said. ``You can't make people do that, but you can certainly suggest that they do it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DREW WILSON, Staff
Trina Brandon, 34, of Wanchese, struggles to maintain her cover as
she runs through a Kill Devil Hills parking lot Friday during an
intense downpour accompanied by strong winds.
by CNB