Tropical Storm Barry Slams South East

Tropical Storm to Hurricane to Tropical Storm

Barry made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, near Inter coastal City, Louisiana Saturday morning 07/13/2019. Within a couple of hours of landfall, it was downgraded to a tropical storm by the National Weather Service.

By Sunday, Barry had weakened to a tropical depression. Wind speeds in northwestern Louisiana were only 35 mph, but rains were expected to be heavy - causing life-threatening floods. By 12:00 pm on Sunday 07/14/2019, the Port of New Orleans was opened with some restrictions. By 11:35 the same morning, two storms with reported tornadoes were recorded north of Watson, along the east border of Baton Rouge.

Water topped over a levee in the Dularge area and repairs were quickly completed to remedy the issue on Sunday morning. As Barry moved inland, many weather events occurred throughout the duration of the storm. For a list complete accounts go to Accuweather.com.

High fast-moving water sweeps boulders, cars, trees, and any debris in its path down the waterway. The debris, combined with fast-moving water, form a destructive and often lethal battering ram. When any portion of the electrical infrastructure is in the path, power outages occur. 

Barry was a moderate storm that produced tens of thousands of power outages. The length of time for a power outage depended on the damage to the local infrastructure. The electrical infrastructure is comprised of power plants, all interconnected on an electrical grid. The grid expands into Canadian power plants as well. If a power plant sustains major damage, it can be removed from the grid without impacting power supply to the main grid.

The power plants then supply power to electrical substations via high voltage lines. Substations distribute power to localized business and residences. During a major storm event, sub-stations, power poles, industrial, and residential power components can be extensively damaged. Our electrical suppliers strive to get the power back on as quickly as possible.

After the Storm Passes & Waters Recede

Winds, flood conditions, storm duration, and damage all add extra layers of complication when power restoration efforts are in effect. A common practice is to isolate areas that have extreme amounts of damage to the infrastructure so power can be restored to the main population. Then the areas with extensive damage can have full crew attention.

Large storms can cause severe enough damage to cripple utility power for days, weeks, months, or longer. Many businesses are mandated to have an emergency generator in preparation for utility electrical outages. Businesses that have critical power requirements have Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) backed by diesel or Natural Gas (NG) fueled generators. As long as the installed generator is not damaged, it can supply power for the duration of the utility power outage.

Generators damaged by high floodwaters can have contaminated fuel supply, debris, and mud from the flood throughout their compartments. Extensive cleaning, repair, and testing are needed to return the generator to operating status. Generator Source has more than 35 years of experience troubleshooting, repairing, and maintaining generators. Contact Us for more information. 

Hurricanes and severe storm fronts that destroy the electrical infrastructure for long periods test emergency or backup power systems. Emergency generation systems only support building safety and critical circuits. The emergency system can be upgraded to a backup power system. The larger system can support the power requirements for day to day operation of the building. Go to our Hurricane Recovery link to view generators for purchase or lease.

Diesel Blog Team | 7/15/2019 8:03:58 PM | 0 comments