THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 17, 1996 TAG: 9607170333
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 52 lines
Debbie Hebert was cruising through the city manager's office in her stocking feet shortly after lunch on Tuesday.
It wasn't a suddenly relaxed atmosphere at City Hall that prompted her to remove her high heels. It was the heat and the forced climb up six floors to her office that had her sans shoes.
In other offices, people wore shorts and T-shirts or unbuttoned collars to beat the heat.
A Monday afternoon thunderstorm destroyed a transformer that provides electricity to city offices.
Tuesday morning, the power was still out, and city workers entered darkened, hot offices. Most of them had to climb stairs to get to there.
That same storm that plunged city hall into darkness killed two other downtown transformers, said Deputy City Manager C.W. ``Luke'' McCoy.
Transformers at Commerce Bank and at the Hardee's on London Boulevard had to be replaced.
When the city's transformer blew Monday afternoon, at least one woman was stranded in an elevator.
McCoy said he made several trips up and down the building's six stories trying to get the woman out. The woman finally escaped with some help from the city's fire department.
``I won't have to do a stress test for the doctors after that,'' McCoy said Tuesday. ``My heart survived yesterday's test.''
With the electricity still off on Tuesday morning, City Manager Ronald W. Massie sent most employees home, asking that volunteers staff the phones to answer customer questions.
But phones were out on three floors at City Hall as well, so most of the calls ended up at the city manager's office.
With her computer down and the electricity just coming to life, Cheryl Lodge was sifting through a stack of papers on her desk Tuesday.
``Well, I'm getting caught up on work I don't usually do,'' Lodge said. ``I've been wondering what was in this pile of stuff.''
The electricity returned at noon.
Marilee Hawkins, director of Environmental Services, had just returned from changing her clothes.
She came into city hall holding an extra large Coke and wearing shorts, tennis shoes and a cotton shirt.
She was heading for the stairs when she learned the electricity was back on.
Massie was in his regular attire - coat, tie and all - but he arranged most of his meetings outside of city hall.
Mayor James W. Holley III moved his offices to the second floor of the Central Fidelity Bank building during the outage.
Business - and wardrobes - are expected to be back to normal today. by CNB