Power Outage Last Night
 

There was a power outage in the Village of Pinellas last night around 9:50 and lasted about 45 minutes. Strange thing, everything pitch black but found my phone and had Community Watch on the address list but not SECO so I called them. I was informed I would have to call SECO and he could give me the number. At that point I said couldn't you guys do that? Again informed that they would rather have the customer do that. I'm in a house that is so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face and now I need to find a piece of paper and pen to write down a phone number? Give me a break. I could see if I was the only house affected but, it seemed to be the whole Village. After a short conversation he said Seco was aware of the outage. Really! So why am I having this conversation. I just said thanks and hung up and thought...what is the purpose of Community Watch if not to help out the Villagers'. I usually don't vent so, excuse my frustration.

First time we had an outage, we saved the number in our cell phones.

Also, the power company needs to know the address and phone number of the outage so they can pinpoint the outage better. Sometimes they will call the homeowner back directly to make sure the power was restored, so it's better in the long run to have the individual make the call rather than a third party like Community Watch.

That may explain why we had a dip in power (twice) last night around that time (Village of Charlotte).

Typical electric utility systems employ a device called a recloser, as well as the main circuit breaker at the substation. Both of these are designed to trip (for a fault), and then reclose to restore power. If the fault was temporary, the circuit and customers are restored. If the fault is permanent, these will trip again, and test again (2 dips), and then go to what is called lockout and remain open (the power is out). Last night I saw the same 2 dips (village of Pinellas) and then the lights went out.
This is the exact type of operation I would expect to see for a permanent fault, like a cable or transformer failure. SECO was probably able to isolate the affected equipment, and restore power using an alternate feed. Depending on their system design, there might be a blink when it is returned to normal.

Our lights "blinked" in the Village of LaBelle about this time (9:50) of the evening.

C'mon, you really don't believe that is what Community Watch is for. You have no flashlights, no candles, no plan for disruptions or emergencies? You don't have a flashlight app on your phone? What will you do if something more serious than a simple power outage occurs?

The Buckeyes will rely upon generosity from neighbors lending each other a kind hand during ANY sort of trouble. This is exactly what happened in Collier last night. We did not stand around and judge those that were not prepared. We gave what we had to each other, candles, matches, flashlights, and sat in a strangers living room and laughed together until the power came back.

Tippyclubb, nicely said and done...

Couldn't agree with you more CassieInVa, that Tippyclubb and Tippyclubbshubby are wonderful people, but The Buckeyes really need to know who to call in an emergency situation, just in case their neighbors are not as friendly or are not home in such a situation. Community Watch was not the venue that should have been called. If The Buckeyes are renters, they should find out from the homeowner who to contact and if they are owners, then they need to make themselves a list of important phone #'s and have it handy if any emergency situation should arise in the future. Along with items mentioned, such as a flashlight, candles, etc ... are all items we should have in our homes, just in case.
Hats off to those wonderful neighbors in The Villages who always lend a helping hand.

I live in Collier but did not experience a power outage or a dip in power that I noticed while watching TV.

Hi buckeyes: I am surprised at the response you received from Community Watch because that has not been my experience on two such calls.

The first time (outage) Community Watch was aware of the power outage and was in complete possession of the situation location, etc and said it was being addressed and the estimated time of repair.

The second outage occurred some months later and I called Community Watch at 3:30AM just as it happened and the woman on duty secured information including my address and said she would notify the power company. She was a breath of fresh air

I am supportive of Community Watch because they accomplish more than what some folks realize.

I do believe their duties should include and cover emergencies such as this because they serve as a central point.

Since you and I had different experiences I am not certain if handling notification of power outages is a part of their service or if I happened on a very ambitious employee?

And that's the way it should be....my issue was the OP taking shots at Community Watch. Evidently the OP doesn't reside in a neighborhood like yours or mine.

ours in Sanibel blipped, but didn't go out