I am a network engineer for a major internet service provider that is located in Tampa, Florida. The alarm went off on our UPS sytem and we experienced a power surge ranging from +10 volts to +13 volts around 11:15 PM this evening, and at 11:20 we experienced total power failure. Generator came online 10 seconds after we lost power. Our OC-3 backbone connections have also been affected, and we are now running on sattelite backup. Took a walk outside and can not see any lights within my sight. I only found 3 local radio stations on the dial that were operational and one said that they were runnning of backup power.

More info coming.

-- anon (bob@ij.com), January 07, 2000

Answers

Cut, nick, slice . . .

-- Think It (Through@Pollies.Duh), January 07, 2000.

"This was not a Y2K problem... This was not a Y2K problem... This was not a Y2K problem..."

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), January 07, 2000.

Damn Squirrel!

-- PA Engineer (PA Engineer@longtimelurker.com), January 07, 2000.

I never had any idea what Rick Cowles was talking about when he would say (roughly) "errors may build up in the system during the first several weeks of the year, so I expect the serious problems may begin to show up around that time".

I think I'm beginning to understand that.

-- Me (me@me.me), January 07, 2000.

Power has now been restored, but our system is still showing an overvoltage of 12 volts, so we are going to continue to run the genorator until we stop getting dirty power. Our redundant backbone conections are still down.

Updates as they come...

-- anon (bob@ij.com), January 07, 2000.

How long would you say the power was out for?

-- I am (interested@your.story), January 07, 2000.

Just called this restaurant for you...

DENNYS 1301 Brandon Boulevard W Tampa, FL 33602 813 685 1176

They've had power all night... must have been an isolated squirrel.

-- H.H. (dontscrewme_2000@yahoo.com), January 07, 2000.

From 11:20 P.M. to 12:45 A.M., so roughly about an hour and 25 minutes.

Still showing an overvoltage of 14 volts. Voltage is fluctuating pretty rapidly, VERY dirty power. Still running on sattelite backup.

I'd advise that anyone in the Tampa Bay Area unplug any sensitive electrical devices immediatly. Overvoltage fries electronics.

-- anon (bob@ij.com), January 07, 2000.

HMMMMMMM. Well let's see. Coming home from town today I noticed that unit 3 of Martin Lake Tx. Utilities plant had dropped offline. About an hour ago some outrageously load diesel engine running at high speed cranked up over there, sounds like a huge generator. It could be that they are firing up their old diesel locomotive, which is an emergency backup to their electric coal locomotives, but if so it has lost its muffler since the last time they ran it, and the rpm's sound way too high. I can also hear popoff valves blowing intermittently releasing high pressure steam, but cannot see the smokestacks from here aat home to see if additional units are dropping offline, or if they have a total cluster going on trying to restart #3. Their electric locomotives are not compliant, a buddy of mine drives them and told me they had set the clocks on them back One Month to get them to keep running.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), January 07, 2000.

Precisely why O'Hare (and other airports?) has been running on backup generators since the rollover.

>"<

-- (squirrel@huntr.com), January 07, 2000.

is the social security administration still off the grid?

-- Vern (bacon17@ibm.net), January 07, 2000.

WASHINGTON D.C. (Reuters) Jan. 7, 1900

A high-ranking gubmint bullshit artist said Friday morning that they will not know until Saturday what was the cause of a brief power outage in Tampa Bay, Florida. He explained that they immediately began running on the backup system, and no one was ever in any danger. He did say however, they were certain that the outage was definitely not Y2k related.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 07, 2000.

All the operators needed some sleep - so they tried to run the plant on automatic. Now they're back on manual.

-- M (m@m.m), January 07, 2000.

Squirrel King LIVES!

That road kill incident was just a cover story, a body double was used -- just like other heads of state; ie., Bill, Sadam, and Boris (now he's real road kill, Russian style).

Anyway, SK is just spending a little time down here in sunny Florida, enjoying some much deserved R&R while contracting out part-time work for the local semi-retired, gray-haired rodents.

Florida Lurkess is glad hubby has solar panels, invertors, deep-cycle batteries and some kind of a squirrelly rig he's worked up connected to a stationary exercise bike (real pedal power).

-- Lurkess (Lurkess@Lurking.Net), January 07, 2000.

funny. i pitty the poor ZOMBIES who are still operating EVERYTHING ON MANUAL. i want to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.............

-- tt (cuddluppy@aol.com), January 07, 2000.

I've been monitoring the grid voltage since rollover in SW PA through the meter on my inverter.

On day 1, the voltage fluctuated between 123-124 and 122-123. Fluctuations continued for a couple of days. By day 4 it was a pretty solid 124. Yesterday it was at 126.

I have no idea what the norm is, but I'll check around to see if other people in the areahave that info. It certainly seemed like the fluctuations were higher around rollover. Hope they have it worked out now.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), January 07, 2000.

Back at work now. Power stabalized around 5 A.M. this morning. We are running of the grid once again. No word at all from the power company in our area.

To answer the question above, your power should always be at +-1v for 120 volts AC, if its not then you need to have your line checked out. Our line coming into the building is 480v AC, so thats why the fluctuations were more noticible. If we did not notice this in time, it would have fried our $300,000 whole site UPS.

-- anon (bob@ij.com), January 07, 2000.