By Daily Press Staff
DOWNTOWN A blown transformer knocked out power to 30 customers in Downtown, including Fred Segal and the Daily Press, forcing some business owners to close shop early or scramble to find ways to preserve their products.
The 400 block of Broadway lost power around 6 p.m. Monday, Mark Olson, spokesman for Southern California Edison, said. Power was restored at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
What caused the transformer, a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another, to fail was unknown at presstime. Olson said the outage could have been caused by any number of reasons, from water intrusion into the transformer to overloading.
“We won’t know until we get a look at the internal components and perform a transformer autopsy,” Olson said.
The outage affected a handful of businesses along Broadway and Fourth and Fifth streets. Some closed early and chose not to reopen Tuesday. Chefs from Roll House Sushi had to scramble to save their raw fish.
Karina Freascas at Veronica M, a women’s clothing boutique on Broadway, said employees had to close the store early on Monday because it was too dark to see. The next day Freascas closed early when she realized that the power would not be turned on until later in the evening.While the floor was well lit because of the large storefront windows, dressing rooms were too dark to see. “(The blackout) isn’t good because then we don’t make sales,” Freascas said.
At the DellaRobbia Design Studio & Flower Market on Fourth Street co-owner Jolene Reynolds had no choice but to keep the store open because her shop had three major parties to decorate.
“There’s no electricity involved in flower arrangement,” she said.
The studio wasn’t affected much by the outage except that it cannot receive online or phone orders. The shop had enough orders to keep it going for a few days. The fridge used to store flowers was off and the doors opened to aerate the flowers so they didn’t get too hot.
“We’re still going to work until we get to the point we can’t see,” Reynolds said.
The cool, damp weather on Wednesday helped, Reynolds added.
Edison customers that lost money because of the outage can file a claim with the power company, which will evaluate them and make a determination if any refund should be paid. Customers can file claims online at www.sce.com or call Edison by using the telephone number on the latest bill.
When a claim is filed with SCE, one of their representatives will contact the claimant either in writing or by phone within three business days. The customer is then contacted within 45 days or less and in most cases with a final decision.
A statement on Edison’s Web site reads: “We exercise diligence to furnish a continuous and sufficient supply of electricity to our customers, and avoid any shortage or interruption of delivery of service. We cannot, however, guarantee a continuous or sufficient supply or freedom from interruption.
“We will not be liable for interruption or shortage of supply,nor for any resulting loss or damage, if such interruption or shortage results from any cause not within our control.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 26, 2008. Read the original PDF.