Cape Hatteras power outage

[Charles Firth]

I hope no one got affected by the Cape Hatteras power outage. Real busy time of the year down there, last word officials do not know how long the outage will be. Lots of evacuations on the island. Business will be hit hard if the outage lasts any time. Prayers are with the residents. I have spent 2 weeks there this year, beautiful area. Plan on going back in the fall.

[DreiHunde]

Evidently the contractor building the Bonner Bridge replacement drove a steel casing for pouring concrete thru the main power line that feeds the island. Power Companies are trying to get generators set up to provide some power.
10K tourists to evacuate North Carolina island after outage - WCTI

[TitanMike]

she tried to book a motel further up the North Carolina coast, only to find they were either sold out or asking as much as $500 a night.

Makes you wonder about some people. They let no disaster go unexploited and gouge for all they can. For some reason it appears to be worse in our nations SE corner than up here in the opposite one.

Recently read that some Hotel/Motel operators cancelled long established reservations and then took new reservations for more than 10 times the ones they cancelled. Why? Because they discovered that their facility was in the path of "totality" in the upcoming solar eclipse.

I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD

[DougW]

We have reservations for Camping at the Hatteras KOA in Waves for the week of Aug 6th, got an Email today that they are closed until further notice. We will wait a few days to see if it looks like things will be back on and try to reschedule if necessary.

Whoever hit that power line is likely due for a whole lot of claims.

[Charles Firth]

Talked to the people at Camp Hatteras today.They are hopeful full power should be back by the end of the week. I was at Camp Hatteras just last week, if so the KOA should be the same length of time , they are only 1/4 mile apart.Only time will tell, there are 3 lines to the island and according to news reports only one is severed. Maybe its a quick fix.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Charles Firth

Maybe its a quick fix.

As long as the necessary parts and materials are available.

Both of those at this level of power distribution aren't available at your local Big Box Store.

When I read that there were generators being brought in, they may be anticipating a delay.

Hope the Contractor has enough insurance.

[mwdilday]

Originally Posted by DougW

We have reservations for Camping at the Hatteras KOA in Waves for the week of Aug 6th, got an Email today that they are closed until further notice. We will wait a few days to see if it looks like things will be back on and try to reschedule if necessary.

Whoever hit that power line is likely due for a whole lot of claims.

Yep I expect somebody is going to go under unless they have a lot of insurance or the state steps in.

[jtstromsburg]

It'd be interesting to know if the power lines were marked or not? At least in Nebraska, it's big fines for simply digging without calling diggers hotline first. If, by chance, the area was cleared or lines marked more than 10' away, the contractor may be clear of fault and it it could be on someone else.

[DougW]

There are pictures on the Cape Hatteras Electric Coop Facebook page along with some updates.

The COOP said they were planning to test the other 2 lines today and post an update but there has been no update as to wether those cables are ok or not. Some say the weather there was bad today with rain and gale force winds so I can see where they may have had problems testing them. There are an awful lot of negative posts on there, apparently some people have no patience and have no idea how difficult a repair like this can be, as said above specialized materials, specialized labor to properly repair this.

We are watching but not in a panic about our planned trip. I got offered an early retirement package 2 weeks ago so I will be retiring this week so I can pretty easy reschedule our trip.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by DougW

There are pictures on the Cape Hatteras Electric Coop Facebook page along with some updates.

The COOP said they were planning to test the other 2 lines today and post an update but there has been no update as to wether those cables are ok or not. Some say the weather there was bad today with rain and gale force winds so I can see where they may have had problems testing them. There are an awful lot of negative posts on there, apparently some people have no patience and have no idea how difficult a repair like this can be, as said above specialized materials, specialized labor to properly repair this.

We are watching but not in a panic about our planned trip. I got offered an early retirement package 2 weeks ago so I will be retiring this week so I can pretty easy reschedule our trip.

This power outage is due to an unusual reason. Most along our coast are weather related. Some transplants get negative quickly but most that have lived here for some time understand no matter what the reason we celebrate and power loss that comes back quickly. A storm can create a loss of several to many days. Sad some will lose their vacation but stuff does happen and no one was hurt!

[Charles Firth]

I agree the power loss was due to some unforeseen circumstances. I enjoy vacationing in Hatteras, very fine people there. Most need to make their money during the summer in order to survive the winter months. Hurricanes, north Easters , tropical storms and the like are elements they are used to dealing with. They have to deal with this incident, then they still have the peak hurricane season to deal with, I am sure they will survive this and anything else that is thrown at them. I would not even to begin the estimate of lost revenue per day without power, but I am sure its astronomical. Thoughts and prayers are with them and hope for a quick recovery.

[KyDan]

National news this evening said 1 line cut 2 others damaged. A lot of vacations are messed up.

[CaptnJohn]

Remember ~~ there are wheels under those campers. Adapt and find another spot.

[Scrapper]

Sad part on the side of people who have reservations most likely will loose their reservation fees though it is not their fault. I know the campground I'm at has a minimum of 4 weeks notice to cancel, you are pro-rated at 2 weeks, after that and before 1 week you loose your full fee. Less than 1 week they charge the full amount of your scheduled stay to your credit card. Something I think is a ripoff when the circumstances are beyond your control.

Just my two cents worth.

[Flybob]

I would bet you will get a refund as it is the campground/local gov that is cancelling the reservations, not the campers.

[mogman]

As a customer of Cape Hatteras Electric we have been getting 2 daily updates. The latest is that all 3 lines (3 phase power) are "compromised " and they are discussing whether to splice them or rework the whole assembly into above ground wires and poles. The underground wire has a finite life anyway because the electric service will be transferred to the new bridge when it opens.
In the meantime they are bringing in more portable generators and hope to open parts of the Island to tourists within the next 2 weeks.
I sure hope the operator of the pile driving rig is sorry for what happened and his surveyor ( the one with the plans) is back in school learning what "buried cable" means!!!

[wuffwuff]

With the shifting sea floor, those cable may have moved from the indicated location. They may have been laid straight but time may have cause them to snake across the bottom.

[DreiHunde]

Cooper says contractor must be held accountable for OBX power outage - WCTI

[Charles Firth]

re; refund of cancellation fee.. I cannot speak for all the campgrounds, but I have been camping at Camp Hatteras for several years now, usually a couple times during the season. I have always found them to be very accommodating. I've had to change my reservations several times on short notice and have had no issue. I do believe that they would do everything within their power to make it right. Of course this is a greater magnitude than just one cancellation here and there. The people love their business and their customers, and most important they want you to come back. Just think a campground with 300 sites charging $100.00 per day mounts up pretty fast. The problem will be fixed and somewhere along the line the business will be compensated , it just may take a while. I am sure that the other campgrounds will also try to work with their campers. Lets all prey it gets fixed in a timely fashion.

[DougW]

I got an Email and a phone call today that Cape Hatteras KOA is cancelling my reservation for next week and is giving a refund of the deposit. They said to call with questions or to reschedule but i did not call yet, i suspect they are plenty busy right now.

As to some of the comments about the cable moving, the section that was hit is buried onshore, I don't think it has moved but even if it has there is equipment out there that will locate an underground cable very precisely, no reason to not know where that thing was.