Octopus Overlords

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:48 am In some locales, the power companies have the right to trim anything that might impinge on their equipment.

disarm wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 11:24 pm We got nailed with some pretty heavy wind in CT this afternoon, but only a moderate amount of rain.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:50 am The power companies (in NJ) have been extremely lax with tree maintenance. When they start, residents go crazy because they're "cutting away all the trees". It's a never ending cycle and it's become tiresome.

We also have somewhere around 20 million Ash trees in our state, all currently at risk for destruction from the Emerald Ash borer. I have no doubts weakened Ash trees were part of the mix yesterday.

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:14 pmThis depends. In rural areas there is too much work and this cycle happens. In more suburban areas (like mine) I get a door hanger that they are coming out. They need signatures but they'll roll a tree crew through to do the entire street every few years here. I've been through at least 3 cycles of this since Sandy. FWIW this is PSEG which is heads and shoulders better than First Energy. First Energy doesn't do tree maintenance. They don't upgrade equipment. They just pocket the money. NJ should probably consider a forced sale of the territory for their performance over the last decade.

“Every time we have a storm, the power goes out. The damage and outages that this tropical storm has caused is a clear-cut example as to why we need to modernize and fix our grid,” he said.

...

“Unfortunately, we experienced the worst. Our luck ran out,” he said, noting that at the peak of Superstorm Sandy, which brought historic damage to the state, 2.7 million utility customers were without power.

At the peak of Tuesday’s storm, 1.4 million people were in the dark.

“New Jersey was probably one of the hardest hit states,” the BPU president said.

Since June 1, 2004, LP&L has been a total requirements customer of SPS, meaning that 100 percent of the power provided to LP&L customers has been purchased from SPS through the West Texas Municipal Power Agency. As approved by regulators, SPS’s contract with LP&L to provide total requirements wholesale service will expire on June 1, 2019. To replace the total requirements service, LP&L will acquire capacity and energy supply through a 170 megawatt partial-requirements wholesale contract signed with SPS in 2010; a 100 megawatt wind contract through its membership with West Texas Municipal Power Agency; 114 megawatts of LP&L-owned generating plants; and the 400 megawatt transition contract signed today with SPS.
...
Lubbock Power & Light is the third largest municipal electric utility in Texas and has been serving the citizens of Lubbock since 1917. LP&L serves more than 104,000 electric meters and owns and maintains 4,936 miles of power lines and three power plants in and around the City of Lubbock.

Smoove_B wrote:

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:14 pmThis depends. In rural areas there is too much work and this cycle happens. In more suburban areas (like mine) I get a door hanger that they are coming out. They need signatures but they'll roll a tree crew through to do the entire street every few years here. I've been through at least 3 cycles of this since Sandy. FWIW this is PSEG which is heads and shoulders better than First Energy. First Energy doesn't do tree maintenance. They don't upgrade equipment. They just pocket the money. NJ should probably consider a forced sale of the territory for their performance over the last decade.

All true. In case anyone wants to read up on what makes NJ so fun, from an overview article posted today. ~3 days for most service to return. I don't want to freak out Octavious, but a little bird told me it could be up to 7 days for his town. Not sure what happened over there, but I'm guessing it was a mess.

Of note from this article (all the way at the end):

“Every time we have a storm, the power goes out. The damage and outages that this tropical storm has caused is a clear-cut example as to why we need to modernize and fix our grid,” he said.

...

“Unfortunately, we experienced the worst. Our luck ran out,” he said, noting that at the peak of Superstorm Sandy, which brought historic damage to the state, 2.7 million utility customers were without power.

At the peak of Tuesday’s storm, 1.4 million people were in the dark.

“New Jersey was probably one of the hardest hit states,” the BPU president said.

Prediction - there will be a storm in NJ over the next 365 days that knocks out power for another 500,000+ people. And nothing will have changed by the time the next 1+ million person outage storm rolls through.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:58 pmPrediction - there will be a storm in NJ over the next 365 days that knocks out power for another 500,000+ people. And nothing will have changed by the time the next 1+ million person outage storm rolls through.

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 pm Somehow failures get passed off as some unique quirk of our state. This one is fun because it is so stupid. Lots of overhead lines and trees! Yeah that's unique to NJ.

Octavious wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 pm I don't see any logical reason my power should be out that long. My entire street is totally fine. It's ridiculous. They have told us nothing. Couldn't book a hotel tonight as they are all gone. I'm so sick of this crap. I did find places for the next two days, but how how many days do I want to book? Could be a day, could be a week no idea.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:35 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 pm Somehow failures get passed off as some unique quirk of our state. This one is fun because it is so stupid. Lots of overhead lines and trees! Yeah that's unique to NJ.

I do know that during Sandy I stopped to speak with a guy that was from Tennessee or Arkansas - definitely a southern state. I was helping him with directions as he was checking poles and equipment. He said he had been working in this business for 20+ years at that point and had never seen anything like what he was being asked to inspect and repair in NW NJ . He pretty much said running electrical service with suspended wires with all the trees around was insane.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:44 pm Around here they keep the lines clear. Some trees look a bit funny as the side facing the lines are straight up and down cut. The road dept came by and cut the ditches the other day too. I mean if the tree falls from high wind that wont help but for limps in over and through the lines it wont happen.

Octavious wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:07 am I just got an email saying our estimated day is the 11th. I'm shocked that I'm the last. Shocked.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 2:48 pm What happens if I use the map to make decisions?

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:03 pm At what point is it appropriate to add the Sharpie bubble of influence?

jztemple2 wrote:Here we go again!

LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:40 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:03 pm At what point is it appropriate to add the Sharpie bubble of influence?

I didn't say it!!! It's all I could think about when looking at the map but I didn't say it. /excited smug

Holman wrote: ↑Fri Aug 21, 2020 3:59 pm Geez. If Louisiana plays their cards right, they can get both the same day.

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:06 am I am almost astonished that they don't think it will strengthen past a tropical storm. Well, fingers crossed but sheesh, what a lousy birthday present.