News Summary
Oxford, MS residents are facing significant power outages following severe storms that struck the area. The Emergency Management Agency is working to restore power after a car accident damaged utilities, affecting over 580 customers. Ongoing technical difficulties at the local transformer have led to recurring blackouts, leaving many frustrated. As restoration efforts continue, residents are urged to report outages and prepare for potential future disruptions.
Oxford, MS – Residents in parts of Oxford are currently experiencing significant power outages due to severe storms that hit the area last night. The City of Oxford’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is actively overseeing efforts to restore power and clear roadways impacted by the storm’s aftermath.
Early Tuesday morning, a car accident on Governors Hill Road exacerbated the situation, leading to widespread outages for over 580 Eversource customers. The single-vehicle crash, which occurred around 5 a.m., resulted in a utility pole and power lines being knocked down. Emergency responders were dispatched shortly after the accident was reported and arrived at the scene to find live wires and a broken utility pole.
Fortunately, all occupants of the vehicle involved were out and safe by the time firefighters arrived. Eversource crews undertook immediate actions to restore power, quickly bringing back electricity to about 420 customers by 8 a.m. The complete restoration of power took place by Tuesday afternoon, but residents remained vigilant due to prior issues with outages earlier in the week.
This latest round of outages follows a troubling pattern experienced by New Oxford residents, who have faced recurring blackouts due to excessive heat and problems with the local transformer. Residents have reported losing power multiple times over several consecutive days. One resident noted enduring several hours without electricity repeatedly, a situation that has frustrated many in the community.
The outages in New Oxford have been linked to technical difficulties at Met-Ed’s New Oxford substation. The facility had been using a mobile transformer to replace the main transformer, but extreme temperatures struck on Monday. The heat peaked at around 96 degrees, which caused the mobile transformer to trip, affecting approximately 2,000 customers and leaving them without power for an extended period of four hours.
After repairs to the main transformer were completed on Tuesday, further complications resulted in additional power outages. On Wednesday, another disturbance caused about 400 customers to lose power once again as the mobile transformer tripped off, highlighting the unit’s susceptibility to overheating.
Met-Ed spokespersons clarified that transformers are designed to shut down when they are at risk of overheating, a precaution meant to prevent further damage to the infrastructure. Nonetheless, this feature has led to mounting frustration among Oxford residents, many of whom have voiced their concerns on social media and reached out to state representatives for help.
Amid these reliability issues, residents are considering solutions to safeguard against future outages. For instance, one community member expressed interest in purchasing a whole-home generator to mitigate the impacts of power loss moving forward. Current forecasts indicate a brief relief from the sweltering heat as cooler temperatures are expected later in the week. However, weather predictions also indicate that future highs could soar above 97 degrees early next week, which could pose renewed challenges for power systems in the vicinity.
Residents are encouraged to report any downed trees or power lines immediately by contacting the Oxford, MS Police Department at 662-232-2400. As restoration efforts continue, community members are urged to remain patient and prepared for potential future outages.
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Additional Resources
- CT Post: Oxford Power Outages
- Wikipedia: Power outage
- Evening Sun: Excessive Heat Causes Power Outages
- Google Search: Power Outages New Oxford
- Press Herald: Power Outage After Thanksgiving Storm
- Google Scholar: Power Outages and Storms
- Levittown Now: Snapped Pole Leads to Power Outage
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Electric Power
