THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 1996 TAG: 9601090248
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: THE BLIZZARD OF '96
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
For Johnny Thompson and his repair crew, descending into the underbelly of Norfolk's business district was like crawling into a cold, wet urban cavern.
A few minutes before the trip, gas-fed flames had shot skyward from a manhole near Main and Atlantic streets. Now Thompson, a supervisor for Virginia Power, was ready to begin the tedious process of repairing ripped, twisted power cables.
``I've never seen anything like this,'' said Thompson, who has worked 25 years for the utility. ``. . . Something similar but not to this extent.''
The crew members worked fast, but not too fast, Thompson said Monday. They put on fire-retardant gear and used instruments to gauge the level of the methane still underground after explosions that were powerful enough to send manhole covers flying.
``When you have something that's burning and smoking, you don't want to go down until it's well-ventilated,'' Thompson said.
Snow had turned to slush when the job began, and the utility tunnels were partially filled with runoff. Pumps were used to get some of the water out.
To get to the heart of the damage, workers climbed down 4 to 10 feet into the network of wires, cables and pipes, Thompson said. No more than two people could fit in the cramped, dank quarters at a time.
As darkness fell, temperatures slid into the low 20s and the wind picked up, sending the chill factor even lower.
``Cold plays a very important factor,'' Thompson said. ``You're trying to keep warm. Working with the wind blowing down the street . . . it has the tendency to slow you down.''
With the wind, water, wires and gas around them, caution was the byword.
``Working with electricity is one very dangerous job,'' he said. ``Electricity is just like lightning. You really don't know where it's going to strike next. You treat it with respect.''
Crews used rubber gloves and rubber boots while mending the mesh.
They cut surrounding cables to prevent further fires from breaking out. The final step was installing new cable connections, he said.
Thompson worked from 2:30 p.m. until midnight, when another crew took over.
By Monday afternoon, after a rest, Thompson was headed back to check out the repair job.
``I know everything will be connected just fine,'' he said. by CNB