Out on a limb

I was rudely awakened by a loud event on the morning of Friday 02-Jul-2021. There was a very loud 'THUD!' sound somewhere outdoors and a simultaneous loss of electrical power to my residence. Instantly, I knew that a tree or a large limb had fallen and compromised an electrical service line, somewhere in the neighborhood.

Dashing to the window, I looked out the front and saw nothing amiss. So, I went to look out the back window and didn't see anything amiss, either, not at first. Then, I looked up and noted that I couldn't see the power line crossing the yard to the house. In a half-asleep-but-alert state, I put on a robe and stepped outside to confirm. Sure enough, it was no longer there, and I saw the end lying on the ground a short distance away. 😱

Further investigation around the property revealed that a largish limb had fallen right across the electric line. The limb wasn't very big in circumference, maybe about as big as my thigh at the thickest end, but it was quite long — maybe 20 feet (a little over 6 metres) with many small branches full of green leaves. So, the limb wasn't deadwood, but fully alive when it fell. We'd had some gentle rain, but I didn't hear any strong wind, so what sparked the limb to fall remains a mystery. 🤔

It was very fortunate that the line merely broke-away from where it was connected without causing any damage to the anchor point, and that the loose ends that landed on the ground did not set any brush on fire. Speaking of "brush" and "fire" — the limb fell directly across my brush pile, as seen in the above photo. In fact, when the limb dries out enough to be burnable, I might just light the bonfire as is, let the middle of the limb burn, and then try to scoot the ends into the fire. It's much too large and heavy for me to move on my own.

I went back into the house and took a candle into the bathroom so I could perform my morning ablutions and get dressed. Then I called the company that supplies my electrical power. The man told me they would have someone visit me shortly to survey the damage. Amazingly, within 30 minutes, I heard a large truck pull into the driveway! I imagine they came so quickly because I had reported a downed power line lying in my yard which could be a severe hazard to humans, animals, and a fire hazard on its own. ⚡️😬

Two young men quickly surveyed the problem before I could even slip on shoes and go outside. One of them was an experienced lineman and the other was an apprentice in training. The apprentice went to a utility pole 220 feet (67m) away and I could see him use a long, telescoping pole to do something to the box hanging at the top. I later learned that he had removed a fuse that serviced my house, specifically, so the line that had to be repaired would have no electricity running through it. The experienced guy climbed a ladder to the roof of my house and the apprentice handed tools and the power cable up to him. In very short time, he had the wires from the cable re-connected. Then he came off the roof and checked something inside the electrical meter on the side of the house. The apprentice replaced the fuse, and I had electricity again — only 30 minutes after they arrived! I was both amazed and thrilled at such rapid service! 😃

I have been very happy with the utility company that services most of my area. There is another much-larger company that provides electricity in this area, too, but their "uptime" isn't as good. The lady across the street from me uses that other company, and even paid a high premium to get their service extended to her residence, but her house stays dark much more than mine does. I was without power once for 10 or 12 hours after the remnants of a hurricane passed through the area with high winds. Other than that, my power is seldom off but an hour or two before it's back on again, and that doesn't happen often, thankfully!

Those of us with stable electrical power should be grateful, as I know it is a luxury in some areas of the world. Political unrest in Venezuela, for instance, has disrupted utilities and some parts of the country only have electrical service provided for a scant four hours each day. Another person on Hive told me a year ago that where he lives in Nigeria usually has about eight hours of electricity each day. Hiveans in South Africa have experienced many rounds of "load-shedding" on a routine basis, where electrical service is provided in a round-robin approach so as to reduce the burden on the overtaxed facilities that generate the electricity. So, be grateful if you have stable utlities in your area!

 😊


       



06-Jul-2021



0
0
0.000
9 comments
avatar

pixresteemer_incognito_angel_mini.png
Bang, I did it again... I just rehived your post!
Week 64 of my contest just started...you can now check the winners of the previous week!
!BEER
3

0
0
0.000
avatar

Good thing for the rain, and yes stable power is a very nice thing. We have outages on occasion, but it is extremely rare for a 12 hour plus outage in our area.

0
0
0.000
avatar

This post has received a 100.00% upvote from @fambalam! Join thealliance community to get whitelisted for delegation to this community service.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @thekittygirl! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You made more than 11000 comments.
Your next target is to reach 12000 comments.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Feedback from the July 1st Hive Power Up Day - ATH Volume record!
0
0
0.000
avatar

Well, that sucks it happened, but what a professional and speedy response. It's hit an miss across the USA with utility companies and their customer service, but it sounds like you had a best case scenario.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It's good to hear that you are safe and sound, your home is safe, and the electrical service is very good. You mentioned that in Venezuela the electrical service is bad, and you are right, I live in Venezuela and if that tree had fallen near my house it would take days to repair it.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Excellent response from the power company @thekittygirl, and yes, quick to remove any liabilities that exist, of the things you have mentioned: humans, animals, and a fire hazard.
Glad it didn't do any real damage to the house or property.
It looks like an oak limb about 5" in diameter, so it is fairly heavy. It will be a nice burning log after it dries out.

0
0
0.000