US Heat Wave Continues; Deaths Rise to 50
Pastor Dale Morgan
US Heat Wave Continues; Deaths Rise to 50*
Thursday August 23, 2007 12:46 AM
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A fire at a power substation Wednesday forced
the nation's largest public utility to ask major industrial customers to
reduce their electricity use as a heat wave continued to dog the region
it serves.
The fire caused a partial shutdown at a Tennessee Valley Authority plant
in Kentucky as temperatures were predicted to rise near 100 degrees
through Friday in the Knoxville-based utility's seven-state territory.
In Nashville, Tuesday marked the 12th day of 100 degrees or above this
month, the most recorded in any month for the city. Nashville set a
daily record of 102 on Wednesday, while Memphis matched a 2000 record of
100.
Meanwhile, the regional heat wave's death toll grew Wednesday to at
least 50, with one new death reported in Missouri and two in Alabama.
Sweltering heat was also expected to make life even more miserable in
Ohio, where heavy rains have flooded towns and forced residents from
their homes. The National Weather Service said temperatures are expected
in the upper 90s in parts of the state, with heat indexes as high as 104.
In Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen announced Wednesday that the state will
dip into emergency funds to reimburse community service agencies that
buy air conditioners for low-income people suffering from the heat.
``We've contacted them today to say money is no object - if someone
needs an air conditioner, we have emergency funds for those purposes,''
Bredesen said.
The heat wave has forced some schools to hold classes for only half a
day and is renewing interest in a school calendar that delays the return
to classes until after Labor Day, when the weather is usually cooler.
The blaze at the power plant was extinguished without injuries but
knocked out a high-voltage transmission line to the Paradise plant near
Drakesboro, Ky. The TVA had to shut down one of three 1,000-megawatt
units at Paradise until the substation can be fixed, officials said.
An instrument transformer that measures the flow of power on
transmission lines caught fire, the utility said.
``Extreme heat across the Tennessee Valley and heavy power loads on TVA
transmission lines contributed to the device failure,'' spokesman John
Moulton said.
For the first time since the heat wave began, the utility asked 25 major
industrial customers that receive power directly from it for voluntary
cutbacks. Utility officials said those efforts were paying off, saving
about 120 megawatts.
The TVA also appealed to its 158 power distributors to turn up
thermostats, turn off unnecessary lights and unplug unneeded electrical
equipment in their offices. The utility adopted the move in its own
buildings two weeks ago.
The agency set an all-time high of 33,499 megawatts on Aug. 16. TVA
provides electricity to about 8.7 million consumers across Tennessee and
to parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina and
Virginia.
A thousand megawatts would power about 550,000 homes in the utility's
coverage area.