STORM'S RUINOUS RESULTS; THOUSAND OAKS BOULEVARD HIT HARD BY LIGHTNING, WINDS.Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff WriterThe sounds of saws cutting and cranes lifting power poles power pole Noun Austral & NZ a pole carrying an overhead power line along a mile-long stretch of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Boulevard on Thursday sounded the cleanup of one of the areas hardest hit by brief but powerful thunderstorms thunderstorms a storm characterized by thunder and lightning caused by strong rising air currents; identified as agents of animal disease because of their involvement causing (1) spasmodic colic; (2) lightning strike; (3) injuries of cattle acquired in stampedes initiated by storms. Wednesday. Dozens of Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. Co. workers, flanked by cleaning contractors and other utility crews, were working to restore power to nearly 250 customers in shopping centers shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into on both sides of the boulevard and the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall. There were more than 2,500 customers still without power Thursday in the area. Edison's regional manager said power might be restored by tonight, or at least by Saturday. ``There's so many small pockets of problems as a result of lightning strikes lightning strike n → huelga relámpago lightning strike n (Brit) → grève f surprise lightning strike n (BRIT on power poles and transformers . . . that hit just randomly all over the area,'' said Mike Montoya, who manages Edison's Ventura County region. ``That's a mess out there to clean up.'' Lightning strikes and power lines knocked down by falling trees and limbs knocked out electricity to more than 11,000 people during the height of the thunderstorms. Some of the greatest damage was along Thousand Oaks Boulevard between Duesenberg Drive and Westlake Boulevard. Winds gusted near or above 60 mph. A dozen power poles were toppled, taking down 60,000 watt transmission lines and 16,000 watt distribution lines, as well as cable television lines. Poles and large tree limbs crunched six cars, trapping trapping, most broadly, the use of mechanical or deceptive devices to capture, kill, or injure animals. It may be applied to the practice of using birdlime to capture birds, lobster pots to trap lobsters, and seines to catch fish. motorists inside, though no major injuries were reported. A large limb also shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. an auto dealership display window. ``I've been out here 30 years, and I've never seen it like this,'' said county sheriff's Deputy Paul Ferruzza, posted at one of two detours to keep cars and pedestrians off the normally busy boulevard. ``This is just incredible.'' Several blocks of the auto mall were still without power Thursday. The outage out·age n. 1. A quantity or portion of something lacking after delivery or storage. 2. A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electric power. left dealership owners and sales managers sales manager n → gerente m/f de ventas sales manager n → directeur commercial sales manager sale n → scrambling to pay top dollar for scarce generators to power show floors once people are allowed back in the area. ``It's not a good situation. And, of course, it's happening on our second biggest weekend of the year,'' said Lee Froehlich, general sales manager for Kemp Ford, who noted car sales on the Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. weekend are second to the Memorial Day weekend. Signs in show-floor windows apologized to customers and stated the closures were temporary and dealerships could open today. But owners and managers said they did not expect the power to return until Saturday. Power also remained out at both the Northgate Center and the Country Oaks Plaza to the east of the auto mall. Pockets of power were restored at the North Ranch and Evergreen shopping centers across the boulevard, sheriff's officials said. ``We've turned away tons, all day long,'' said Susan Allen, manager of the Starbucks Coffee store in the Northgate Center. Allen came to work to clear out perishables and take deliveries. She remained philosophical about the forced closure. ``They'll be back. It's just a lost day,'' she explained. ``There's nothing you can do about it.'' The damage and threat to public safety was enough for the sheriff's department to post its Mobile Resource Center near the boulevard. Traffic detours presented the greatest challenge, said Senior Deputy Harold Hanley, a spokesman. Most traffic was diverted onto Hillcrest Drive, so there were long delays Thursday. Westbound motorists attempting to avoid Hillcrest created a notable snarl in the North Ranch and Evergreen center parking lots as they were turned back on the west end near the Thousand Oaks Post Office, Hanley said. ``Everybody came in here thinking they could get through and around and found they couldn't,'' said Kevin Ford, a delivery driver who was among those stuck in the lot for some 20 minutes. Postal Service postal service, arrangements made by a government for the transmission of letters, packages, and periodicals, and for related services. Early courier systems for government use were organized in the Persian Empire under Cyrus, in the Roman Empire, and in medieval deliveries were impacted somewhat by the boulevard closure and traffic delays. Carriers were about 90 minutes late in returning Wednesday and deliveries were 15 to 20 minutes behind Thursday, said Pete Boughan, customer service manager. About 100 of the city's 51,800 deliveries couldn't be made as a result of the boulevard closure, he said. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Ramiro Aguilar, a subcontractor One who takes a portion of a contract from the principal contractor or from another subcontractor. When an individual or a company is involved in a large-scale project, a contractor is often hired to see that the work is done. worker, ducks under fallen wires Thursday as he carries debris from Thousand Oaks Boulevard left by the violent storms that hit the area Wednesday. (2--Color) Edison workers place new insulators on a pole going up on Thousand Oaks Boulevard during Thursday's cleanup of the damage from Wednesday's destructive thunderstorms. (3--Color) A 75-foot power pole is raised in Edison's efforts to restore power. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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