WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?

An Electrical Bus is being blamed for more than 30,000 people being left without power Tuesday afternoon. Ohio Edison said that an Electrical Bus, used to regulate voltage, burned up. The incident occurred at Ohio Edison’s substation on North Abbe Road.

The loss of power shut down Lorain County Community College and sent Police to major intersections to direct traffic. Ohio Edison customers in Elyria, Lorain, North Ridgeville, Oberlin and Columbia Station were affected. Although most customers had power restored by 3 p.m. others had to wait for several more hours to get recharged.

LifeCare Ambulance, located just south of the Ohio Edison substation, installed a new generator at their North Abbe Road headquarters. Communications Supervisor Rob Dybo said the generator was installed just in time. “We were excited to see our investment paid off today during the power outage. Just last week we installed a new fully automated diesel generator that maintains power throughout the LifeCare Administrative Offices, Billing Center, Education Department and Communications Center. This was a much needed piece of equipment that sustained our emergency communications throughout the outage."

Dybo said that all critical communications equipment fell directly onto a battery back-up system for a brief 10 seconds while the generator fired its engine. “Then without missing a beat the generator provided full electrical power to sustain us until Ohio Edison was able to restore electricity back to normal. We felt that a system like this was needed to ensure that the public receives the most modern and expeditious care possible, no matter what the situation, no matter what a storm may bring, or no matter what electrical failures may occur.”