Businesses push on through storms

Businesses push on through storms

After the April 27 tornadoes and the power blackout that followed, many DeKalb industries and businesses were forced to shutter, but some pressed on to remain open and provide services through the county's darkest hours.

Arguably the most impressive of these was the Best Western Hotel in Rainsville, which sits squarely in the midst of tremendous destruction caused by an EF-4 tornado that roared through DeKalb.

The tornado completely destroyed the nearby Huddle House and badly damaged property on each and every side of the hotel, including Plainview High School and the DeKalb County Schools Coliseum, just across the street. But, somehow, the hotel not only remained standing but continued to operate in the days after the disaster.

Major power outage in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Major power outage in Michigan's Upper Peninsula Caused by a lightning strike

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - A lightning strike disabled two transmission lines that serve Michigan's central and western Upper Peninsula, leaving tens of thousands without power Tuesday.

Numerous schools were closed and some businesses idled, including the Tilden and Empire iron mines in Marquette County. Crews in helicopters and on foot were inspecting the power lines and towers for damage while others worked to restore electricity to darkened homes.

The lightning bolt hit two lines that transmit power between Oconto Falls, Wis., and Kingsford, Mich., about 3:30 a.m., said Anne Spaltholz, spokeswoman for American Transmission Co., which owns and operates the lines.

Venezuela Restores 90% of Power After Blackout Affects 10 States

Venezuela has restored 90 percent of power knocked out by a blackout today that hit 10 states in the western part of the South American nation.

Two separate transmission failures took about 3,000 megawatts of capacity offline, and the states of Tachira, Merida, Trujillo and Barinas were "totally" affected by the blackout, Igor Gavidia, head of power transmission at the Electricity Ministry, said today on state television.

“We’re working to bring stability to the system,” Gavidia said. “Everything is practically resolved.”

A helicopter was dispatched to collect more information on the cause of the blackout that also affected the states of Zulia, Yaracuy, Portuguesa, Cojedes and Lara, Gavidia said. The Paris-based International Energy Agency said last month that increasing blackouts in Venezuela may cause oil output to decline. A blackout on April 7 struck the capital of Caracas and 15 states.

Venezuela’s largest refining center, the Paraguana complex in Falcon state, was not affected by the blackout today, an official for state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, who isn’t authorized to speak publicly, said by telephone.

Do You Need Continuous Power Generators?

Do You Need Continuous Power Generators?

Before you set out to buy diesel generators for emergency power needs, you should determine the requirements you need. Sometimes you only need enough power for short periods of time and possibly the traditional standby generators will do.

Typical standby generators can be fueled with diesel and meet a power outage needs operating for several hours. However, many standby generators are not designed for operating days on end so, if you are subjected to frequent power outages for long periods of time, consider investing in standby generators that are designed for prime or continuous use as an uninterrupted source for emergency power. Unless you buy standby generators that are designed for industrial use, you may overload your choice for backup generators exposing them to repetitive breakdowns and need for repair.

Meet Mr. Standby: Generators You Can Always Count On

Meet Mr. Standby: Generators You Can Always Count On

Standby generators are great tools for providing electrical power in a situation where (or when) commercial electricity is not available. This can be due to a number of different reasons including weather or man-made disasters, famous for interrupting the relied on flow of electricity to your home or business.

Blackouts occur all the time throughout the country, storm imminent or not. Sometimes these power outages are due to regular and routine maintenance or in high temperatures from overload on the system. At times power outages are caused by a vehicle accident, dead or dying trees falling on the lines… even ordinary equipment failure or construction faux pas.

ETQ Generator Reviews

WOW, check out this video of an ETQ Diesel Generator Reviews. The muffler glows red hot and spits out molten metal.   There are lots of bad reviews out there but this one takes the cake.  Poor guy could not get the generator started and when it did, this happens.

Diesel Generators

Aurora Diesel Generators has done a generator demo video showing the differences between their diesel generators and others.  Very well done! 

If you notice, there is no other company making anything with UL, CSA or ETL approval like they are. This means their generators have received laboratory testing and electrical certification that others have not been able to pass.  It really speaks for the quality of the product.