Electrical system inhibits fast fixes

When Louell Miner got home from work Monday, she cleaned up melted freezer pops, soppy vegetables and rotten meat from her freezer.

Her house in South Orlando was about 85 degrees, laundry was piling high and she was eating meals from Subway and Golden Corral.

A few houses down Miner’s street, Teresa Mauldin cooked herself steak teriyaki and a baked potato for dinner. She did a load of laundry and watched the news. Her air conditioner was set at a comfortable 79 degrees.

Mauldin said she feels so blessed that she’s already called about volunteering to help others hurt by the storm.

Miner is simply disgusted.

Both of these neighbors can understand how the quirky design of the power system has given them a different take on life since Hurricane Charley roared through Central Florida. But it’s of little comfort to Miner, a school administrative assistant.

“It doesn’t make me any happier,” said Miner, 56. “It’s hot.”

It’s a scenario being repeated across the Orlando area. People without power who are sweltering in the August heat can look across the street or down the road at neighbors watching television and drinking hot coffee.

It might seem as though the power company is playing favorites, but utility officials insist that fixing things really is a simple matter of where your power lines are configured.

“I assure you with the complexity of the system, it’s not that they forgot you or there’s an easy switch to push,” said Orlando Utilities Commission chief Ken Kisonek.

Here’s what you -- and power workers -- are up against:

The power system is divided into sections. For OUC’s system, which serves 190,000 customers, major feeder lines can run about six miles long and may serve about 1,000 customers. OUC fixed those lines first.

Now on the list are lateral lines, which bring the power closer to your neighborhood. OUC has about 7,000 lateral lines that run about a quarter-mile long and serve about 30 customers each. There still isn’t a count on how many are damaged.

From the lateral lines, the system narrows even further. Power then goes through transformers, which reduce the current so it can be brought at a safe level into homes and businesses. Between four to six customers can share one transformer and there are hundreds of thousands of those. Again, OUC doesn’t know how many need fixing.

In the case of Miner and Mauldin, they are served by different transformers even though they live on the same street. Miner’s transformer needs repair.

The divided system that may seem unfair to customers may actually work to their advantage. When there is trouble along the line, such as a fallen tree or downed wire, fuses pop that turn off the power only in that section. If that was not the case, many more people would be without power.

The segmented system means power workers have to look closely at all the sections to find and then fix all the problems. Kisonek said crews are working their way through the entire power system but that’s time-consuming. Some things may be fixed quickly, but other problems may need extensive repairs or replacement equipment.

Other power companies are going through a similar exercise, but it’s little comfort to people such as John Fleming, a 52-year-old retired Air Force veteran, who lives in southeast Orange County. His power company is Progress Energy Florida.

Homes in his neighborhood have been without power since Friday and they have been watching with increased agitation as subdivisions around them have been getting electricity while they remain in the dark.

“I can’t figure it out,” said Fleming, who is taking showers to cool off. “It sure would be nice to close my windows and turn on the air and cook a meal. You wonder what the heck is going on. How did they bypass us?”

Power companies are asking for patience; they promise to get to everyone.

At OUC, they have focused on urgent needs first, such as hospitals. Now workers are moving methodically through the grid, working on repairs in the order in which the system is laid out.

“We have allowed OUC to make their decisions on restoring power on a professional basis and not a political basis,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

Dyer should know. On Saturday morning, he and his wife looked across Lake Silver to see their neighbors with lights on and air conditioning. It wasn’t until 8 p.m. Sunday that the Dyer household got electricity.

“I had a lot of explaining to do to my wife,” he said.

Dan Tracy of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Debbie Salamone can be reached at dsalamone@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5456.