Just my luck, I get up early, to play with my new server uptime monitor I made last night, and the change in pase caused me to leave my cell phone at home when I left for work.
I stop at 7-Eleven for my cheese danish and Arizona Green Tea, and wouldn’t you know it, the electrical substation across the street blows up! I don’t have a camera with me to take pictures.
It was actually pretty cool watching it. I saw a cable start to fall from a power pole and was thinking it was going to fall into the street. About that time, it hit the fence around the substation. I was inside the store, with the doors closed, and I felt the concussion of that first short. A really nice flash that extended out across the substation. Loud booming, lights in the store flickering. Lots of fun.
The cable swung out, away from the fence, and the lights came on in the store. The cable swung back into the fence, and I got a repeat of the show. No concussion like with the first short, but a good light show. The lights went out in the store again.
It did this about 3 times, and then the power went out in the store. Everybody was talking about it in the store. My only comment was ‘my server just went down’. There was a private security person getting her morning caffiene, she called 911 on her cell. The backup systems didn’t come up in the store, so the store manager ushered us out, letting the people with coffee just go, without paying. I paid for my tea and donut with cash. They locked the door behind me.
My boss drove by just as a fire truck was showing up, and he said it shorted out again. Another gal watched a different substation short out – she called in.
I was quite happy to see the fountain under the building (That’s right, my buiilding is built OVER a reflecting pool for some strange reason) was running when I pulled in. The poweer fickered a lot. One gal thought she did something, as she plugged the coffee machine in at the same time the power went out.
I hope they don’t have to bring the whole substation down in order to repair the downed line.
I wish I had my cell phone so I could have taken a photo!
