Home >

Hurricane Irene Timeline

Friday, August 26, 2011

GUC's Storm Central began receiving calls from customers reporting outages a little before 11 p.m. Fewer than 500 customers were affected, and crews restored power quickly.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

2 a.m.
High winds and tree limbs on power lines caused about 1,000 customers to lose power in the Belvoir area. All power was restored in approximately 45 minutes. 50 customers are out in Simpson.

2:45 am
5 customers are out on Raymond Harris Road (between Hollywood & Chicod)

4:30 a.m.
400 customers were without power in the East Fourth Street area (Reade Circle to Elm St.) due to power lines on the ground. About half of those customers now have power.

Also about 10 customers are without power on Port Terminal Road due to a tree that tore down several poles. Winds are too strong to reset the poles.

300 customers are without power in the Northside of the County because of line damage due to wind.

Since 11 p.m., a total of approximately 2,500 customers have experienced outages. 80% of the outages are tree related. The other 20% have been caused by wind.

4:55 a.m.
250 customers out in East 4th street area (Reade circle to Elm St).
500 customers out on NC 43 S Hollywood to Chicod.
338 customers out in the Gardnerville Area.

6:45 a.m.
Water Treatment Plant has gone to their generators as a precaution against potential power loss.

7:15 a.m.
Since 11 p.m. Friday, a total of approximately 5,000 customers have experienced outages. 

The Stokestown substation is out. The substation serves the southern portion of Pitt County including Stokestown and surrounding area.

500 customers on Elm and 10th St. lost power.

GUC suspends all aerial restoration activities (bucket truck/anything in close proximity to trees to high wind conditions).

7:30 a.m.
All systems normal at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

8:15 a.m.
Wastewater Treatment:
Southside pump station is having a communication issue.  Maintenance is on their way to troubleshoot.  All other systems clear.

8:30 a.m.
All restoration activities have been suspended due to high winds and safety concerns for employees. Crews are returning to the Operations Center until conditions improve.

8:50 a.m.
Flow to Wastewater Treatment Plant remains manageable at 14.5 MGD.  Eleven of the small pump stations have lost utility power.  Southside pump station remains on engine drive with loss of utility power.  Northside pump station is OK so far.

9:20 a.m.
There are widespread outages and approximately 20,000 customers are currently without power. Areas affected include Simpson, Blackjack, County Home Road, NC 43S, College View, 14th and Elm St., Greenville Boulevard, 14th Street, and portions of Brook Valley.  

9:50 a.m.
Utility power has been restored at the Southside pump station. Flow to Wastewater Treatment Plant holding at 21 MGD.

10:00 a.m.
A huge oak tree fell over, uprooting a 2-inch gas line out on Library Street. Gas crews valved off the line, shutting off gas to about 10 houses on Library Street. When weather conditions improve, the damage will be repaired.

10:50 a.m.
Wastewater: Southside pump station has lost power. 24 MGD coming in to the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

12:45 p.m.
All customers south of the Tar River and east of Highway 11 (except Bells Fork) are without power. Approximately 45,000 of GUC's 63,000 electric customers are affected. That’s more than 70% of the system.

1:00 p.m.
Our total system load is down to 78.5 megawatts (MW), less than one-third of the load last Saturday (August 20), which was 240 MW.

2:00 p.m.
Wastewater: Northside pump station has lost power.

2:30 p.m.
GUC crews are heading back out into the field to resume storm restoration activities. In advance of the storm, we requested assistance from crews in Tennessee and Alabama. The Tennessee crews are onsite, providing an additional two bucket trucks and two line trucks. The Alabama crews were on the road last night and will arrive in Greenville shortly, bringing 2 bucket trucks, one line truck and a pick-up truck. Fayetteville Public Works Commission will also be releasing crews to assist GUC tomorrow.

The electric system has experienced extensive damage. Approximately 33,000 customers (about half of the total) are without power. “Early indications are that this could be one of the worst system-wide disasters we have seen in recent history.” said Jeff Byrd, Electric Distribution Engineer. The severity of damage is due to high winds over such a sustained period and the large number of downed trees on power lines.

A gas leak has also been reported in a four-inch line on Spring Forest Road. Crews are currently attempting to repair the line

Water
No problems reported at the Water Treatment Plant.

Wastewater
Due to excessive rainfall, as much as 24 million gallons of wastewater are being treated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Normally, average treatment is 8.5 million gallons.

One large pump station continues to be operational, but is experiencing power outages. Several small pump stations are without power.  

4:00 p.m.
Power is out at the Northside Pump Station, and several small pump stations remain without utility service. The 17.5 mgd Wastewater Treatment Plant is managing to treat around 21 million gallons.

4:20 p.m.
Tar River is projected to crest at 18.8 feet. Rainfall amounts from Irene have exceeded forecasts by as much as 100%.

5:00 p.m.
The City of Greenville has established a State of Emergency Curfew beginning at 10 p.m. on August 27, 2011, and lasting until 6 a.m. on August 28, 2011.  The curfew has been established as a result of high water, fallen trees, and downed electrical lines caused by Hurricane Irene, which pose a threat to the public.  The curfew will assist the ability of safety personnel to address these conditions.  The curfew has been established by the issuance of a Proclamation by the Mayor of the City of Greenville.

The County also issued the following release: Please be advised that there is a curfew from 10:00p tonight until 6:00a Sunday morning for the unincorporated areas of Pitt County, Winterville, and Greenville. Ayden, Grifton and Farmville will go from 8:00p tonight to 6:00a Sunday.

5:15 p.m.
Since resuming restoration activity at 2:30 p.m., GUC crews have restored power to approximately 10,000 customers. We are working to respond quickly and safely to 35,000 customers who are without power at this time.

Crews will receive assistance tomorrow by a seven-person crew from South Carolina, bringing two bucket trucks, a line truck and a pick up truck.

7:30 p.m.
We have restored power to about 20,000 customers since the height of the storm. Approximately 25,000 customers are still without power as GUC crews work to get the most amount of customers back on in the quickest amount of time.

8:30 p.m.
Crews are working to repair high voltage lines that bring power to a large number of customers. From a peak of 45,000, we have restored power to approximately 30,000 customers. About 15,000 are without power at this time. GUC is being assisted by 60 additional workers from Tennessee, AL, SC, TX and Fayetteville PWC. These reinforcements bring with them a contingent of bucket trucks, line trucks and other equipment.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

8:30 a.m.
GUC crews worked throughout the night to repair damage to high voltage lines. Power has been restored for a total of 33,000 customers since the height of the storm. Approximately 12,000 customers are currently without power. Major problem areas are in Blackjack, Falkland, Stokes, Renston, Ballards Crossroads and Hooker Road. Crews are also responding to scattered outages throughout the system.

One of the challenges to our crews is the extensive system-wide damage, including the large number of poles that need to be replaced. We will work around the clock to restore power to all of our customers as quickly as possible.

8:45 a.m.
We are advising customers who have had meter bases pulled from the house to have a licensed electrician repair the damage before GUC can restore electric service.

9:00 a.m.
Our electric system has suffered extensive widespread damage and it may take several days before we can restore power to the hardest hit areas. The extent of the damage sustained from the storm is becoming clearer to us as we work through the restoration process. It is still a difficult situation. A large number of poles need to be replaced which is a time-consuming process. In many cases, trees are inhibiting our access to facilities that need to be repaired.

12:15 p.m.
Permanent repairs have been made to the gas leak on Spring Forest Road. The gas line on Library Street cannot be repaired until the tree and electric lines are removed.

In addition, the Gas Department responded to a number of calls regarding damage to gas service lines and meters

4:45 p.m.
From a peak of 45,000, we have restored power to a total of 37,600 customers. Approximately 7,400 remain without power. We are making steady progress, but major problem areas are Stokes, Blackjack, Simpson, Shelmerdine, Calico, Clayroot, Renston and Ballard’s Crossroads. In these cases, much of the electric distribution system has been completely destroyed by trees pulling down entire spans of poles and wire. Restoration will involve rebuilding the facilities, a time-consuming process that involves replacing all of the poles and wire. 

Accessibility is also an issue. The large number of trees downed by this storm as well as flooding in certain areas inhibits our ability to get to the facilities that need to be repaired.

8:00 p.m.
Jeff Byrd revises assessment to say that “This is the worst system-wide disaster we have seen in our history.”

Monday, August 29, 2011

8:45 a.m.
Since the height of the storm Saturday, we have restored power to approximately 43,000 customers. We are working around the clock to restore power to about 2,000 scattered throughout the system who remain without power.

Trouble spots are the Elm Street/Overlook area, Brookgreen, Chicod, Oakley Road, Staton Road, Gum Swamp Road, 5th and Pitt Streets and Ivy Road. Restoration in these areas will require clearing trees, setting poles and reinstalling power lines. Our goal is to have at least 90% of these customers back on today.

In the last 24 hours, Storm Team Operators answered 4,212 calls from customers.

The peak time was 9 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. Sunday, when 1,077 calls were answered.

That is an average of 29 calls/hour per operator, or one call every two minutes … every hour.

10:30 a.m.
Gas Crews were able to repair the natural gas line on Library Street, with the assistance of City Of Greenville Public Works. COG and GUC worked on removing the tree Sunday evening which allowed the Gas Department to repair the natural gas line this morning.

6 p.m.
Approximately 1,300 customers are without power. Crews will continue to work around the clock to restore power quickly and safely.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

7:30 a.m.
Since the height of the storm, GUC has restored power to a total of 44,000 customers. Crews are currently responding to fewer than 1,000 customers who remain without power. These outages are scattered throughout the system, and some involve customers whose meter bases were pulled from the house during the storm. In cases where rewiring is required, customers need to contact a licensed electrician to make repairs. And, a City or County inspection will be necessary before GUC can restore power.

9:30 a.m.
Approximately 700 customers are still without power at this time.