An estimated 100 Brundidge residents in the Caldwell Subdivision were without electricity Monday night. The outage occurred around 11 a.m. Monday and affected all residents in the Caldwell Subdivision with the exception of the residents on Clayton Street.
Britt Thomas, city manager, said the outage in the Caldwell Subdivision was caused by a pine tree limb that fell on an electric line. The downed line is just off Johnson Street and on the north side of Mims Creek.
Thomas said due to the location of the downed line and the wet conditions caused by the extended rain, it was not possible to get a bucket truck to the area to remove the limb.
“A four-wheeler will have to be used to get to the area and then a lineman will have to climb the pole to cut the tree limb off the line,” Thomas said on Monday. “Weather conditions would make any attempt to do so, extremely dangerous. There are other pines in the area and we couldn’t take a chance on a limb falling on the line while a lineman was working.”
Thomas expressed concern that the residents of the Caldwell Subdivision would be without electricity overnight.
“But these linemen want to go home,” he said. “So, we’re not going to put them in a dangerous situation.”
Depending on weather conditions, Thomas said the line could be cleared and power back on during the morning hours today. However, he cautioned the safety of the employees of the city’s utility department comes first.
Electrical service was not disrupted in any other sections of the city. No other situations due to Tropical Storm Irma were reported.