By Daily Press staff
Rain water flooded a power substation at City Hall, forcing officials to turn off the electricity and send employees home. A leaky roof at the city’s new Public Safety Building, which is still under construction, allowed rain water to flood a room containing electrical equipment. Fearing the water could short-circuit City Hall’s entire electrical system, officials turned off the power. “To make sure nothing blew, we decided to turn everything off,” said Judy Rambeau, a City of Santa Monica spokeswoman. With the power turned off, only emergency lights remained. But the lights were too dim for employees to continue working, so they were sent home at about 1 p.m., Rambeau said. “We had to send people home,” she said. “Even with the emergency lighting, it’s not enough to work by safely.” Rambeau said officials were busy all day trying to pump out the water and bring City Hall’s electricity back online. But she warned the lights at City Hall could still be off this morning, preventing the city from opening for business until the situation is fixed.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 13, 2003. Read the original PDF.