Originally posted Tue, 2009-04-07 16:42
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Gusting winds were blamed for a downed tree that damaged a power line and left the NSB Regional Shopping Center in the dark for about an hour about mid-day Tuesday, April 7, retailers and the Utilities Commission said.
"The wind took down a tree behind Publix and that damaged two of the three phases of a three-phase line," said Ellen Fisher, public information manager for the utility company.
Power went off at 12:30 p.m. affecting all of the stores in the city's largest plaza, including WalMart, where employees stood in front of doors, politely directing people away.
"Power outage, we're closed for now," was the refrain.
Fisher said a utility crew was able to restore the damaged lines within an hour and full power was restored.
Customers seemed to take the inconvenience in stride -- several of whom had no problem waiting it out - anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes.
The outge was limited to the NSB plaza, Fisher said, noting it's rare for such an outage to occur.
"Usually, if its (heavy) rain the extra weight will knock tree branches into power lines," she said.
The National Weather Service out of Melbourne reported wind gusts locally in excess of 45 mph earlier today. Winds are expected to die down in the next 24 hours, but temperatures will remain unseasonably cooler during that period with highs about 60 and nighttime lows in the low 50s.