Transformers catching fire during hurricane

[sncup]

I’ve been watching the TV coverage of hurricane Irma from a safe distance. Having worked with electrical distribution in industrial plants the news that pole transformers are catching fire is sad and disturbing.

Knowing the electrical lines are GOING TO BE SHORTED OUT during a hurricane, why do they not turn off the power until the storm is over and lines are inspected??

It has to be costly and time consuming to replace damaged transformers so why let it happen?

I also saw 1 man was electrocuted by stepping on a down but live wire. It should be a safety issue to not turn the power back on until the lines are inspected.

Are the power managers really total knuckleheads?

 

[pisgah]

Well, I don't know, but...if they turn it off, how do they know where repairs are needed after the storm? Turn it back on, and see what burns up then? Or, just leave it off until they have inspected every running foot of wire, every pole and every transformer? And if you're gonna turn it off -- when? What size storm? Only Cat 5 hurricanes? Or every severe thunderstorm or ice storm that moves through an area?

 

[JFB]

not sure it is fuzzy memory or dream recollection... But I thought I have worked in areas (near the coast) that did cut the power preemptive.

Google finds where NYC cut power before Sandy and is now being sued for the "damages" that may have occured for doing so

 

[blume357]

I suspect it is one of those you can't win situations....

 

[Colonialgirl]

If there is no need, You BETTER NOT turn off my power during a storm when I'm watching the storm reports and charts on TV; What do you want to do, Deliberately Isolate me from needed information ?
Yeah, if the storm knocks it out, that's one thing but to shut me down on purpose is another and it "saves" nothing.

Somebody DUMB enough to step on a downed wire is looking for a DARWIN AWARD trophy.

 

[Jeepnik]

If you cut off the power before the event, some darned fool will sue. Heck if the power goes out during the event and it takes longer than some darned fool thinks it should to restore it, the fool will sue.

To protect yourself from darned fools rely on your own source of power.

 

[sncup]

Not taking care of critical care facilities has consequences. Demanding they have emergency power as part of licensing for facilities has consequences.
On the other hand, the government now has a few less medicare-social security recipients in its budget.

In Hollywood, the Rehabilitation Center said the hurricane had knocked out a transformer that powered the air conditioning.

Early Wednesday morning, after responding to three calls about patients there in distress, firefighters went through the facility and found three people dead and evacuated more than 150 patients to hospitals, many on stretchers or in wheelchairs, authorities said.

By the afternoon, five more had died. Others were treated for dehydration, breathing difficulties and other heat-related problems.

 

[Dan in MI]

Knowing the electrical lines are GOING TO BE SHORTED OUT during a hurricane, why do they not turn off the power until the storm is over and lines are inspected??

How would you realistically do this?

You shut down power and WAIT two three four, five weeks for everything to be inspected? There is no way you could inspect everything fast enough to get people back on line in a reasonable time frame. Anything less than a complete system wide inspection leaves the same issues as letting the disaster do its thing.

While seemingly ineffective and expensive, leaving the power on and fixing only what gets broken is the most efficient way to handle a disaster like this.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

While seemingly ineffective and expensive, leaving the power on and fixing only what gets broken is the most efficient way to handle a disaster like this.

^^^^THIS^^^^

I did hear that Puerto Rico cut the power before the storm on the coast but they have to save all the money they can because of their debt situation and the amount of destruction they expected.

 

[Jeepnik]

I can't speak for other states, but in California any facility that houses patients overnight must have a backup generator. These require regular maintenance, testing and some hefty documentation.

Fuel requires test as well. There is a minimum amount of fuel required on hand.

The sizing of the generators must be sufficient. It's spelled out quite clearly. Failure to comply will get you shutdown so fast your head will swim.

Medical gases also have volume requirements.

Actions of staff are regulated. Failure to properly care for patients has criminal consequences.

In the end this was a human failure. Help was a few scant yards away

People need to be tried, convicted and never see the light of day.

 

[blume357]

Speaking of this.... when I was about 15, I was walking on our farm and we had a tenant house that was empty and I decided to shoot the transformer with a 12 gage slug... best thing I can tell y'all is ... Don't do this!

The thing started to bleed, oil running out... after a while it started making a funny sound... then it started smoking... that's when I decided to run... when I got about 50 yards away... BOOM!