A two-and-a-half-hour power outage last week was caused by a regulator malfunction, according to an electric cooperative spokeswoman.
The service interruption, which started at around 6:45 p.m. Aug. 14, affected a total of about 30,000 Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation members. Renée Whitener, BREMCO's director of corporate communications, said the power failure covered all of Alleghany, as well as most of Ashe County and part of Watauga County.
"Most members were back on - all but a handful - by 9:30 p.m.," she said. "Linemen were dispatched quickly. The power was (back) on rather quickly for an outage of that size."
The outage was an inconvenience for many, but apparently not a dangerous situation for anyone. "We did not have any reports of anybody badly affected," said Whitener. Local emergency management personnel were available to help those needing assistance, and the cooperative tries to help restore service first for those using life-support equipment. Alleghany Memorial Hospital spokesman Wes Wood said backup generators are typically in place for those using such equipment, ready to kick in during a power failure. "I'm not aware of anyone in a critical situation during that two to two-and-a-half hour period," Whitener added.
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