THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508240520
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Blame Hurricane Felix for those blinking digital lights on alarm clocks, microwave ovens and VCRs.
North Carolina Power has issued a salt warning until further notice, because salt accumulation on electrical equipment has caused power interruptions during the past several days.
``One of the things Hurricane Felix left behind is a lot of salt on our equipment, because it sat out in the ocean with the wind blowing,'' said Perk Hazlegrove, director of construction for the company. ``This isn't a problem until it gets wet. When the dry salt on the insulators gets wet, it becomes electrically conductive and causes problems.''
On Monday and Tuesday mornings, quick power interruptions occurred, causing flickering lights and electronic equipment in scattered areas of the Outer Banks.
Wednesday morning's outage was more severe, shutting off electricity for about 22,000 customers from Duck to Ocracoke and Roanoke Island from 5:30 until 7:25 a.m.
Since Sunday, power crews working 12-hour shifts have been on the job round-the-clock, spraying water on the insulators on the lines to remove the salt.
But despite the company's efforts, Hazlegrove predicted the power interruptions might continue for several days.
``Until we get some good rain, there is potential for this to exist for a while, especially if the northeast winds pick up,'' Hazlegrove said. ``Heavy rain is what we need right now, and right now that doesn't seem to be in the forecast. As we're washing out there, we're helping the problem, as long as the wind doesn't undo what we've done.'' ILLUSTRATION: SALT WARNING SURVIVAL TIPS
Keep emergency light sources handy.
Save work often if using a computer without battery backup.
Use batteries or wind-up clocks as a backup for digital clocks.
by CNB