FROM: Terry Lynch@aol.com; POB 241035; Montgomery, AL 36124-1035
Phone: (334) 277-3582 voice/fax

DATE:  March 24, 1998 

TO:  Letter to the Editor      WORD COUNT: 200

REF: Lengthy Power Outages Dangerous!

At 7:14 A.M. on March 24th the power went out in northeast 
Montgomery for 2 hours 20 minutes.  That's a loss of 2,333 hours 
per 1,000 homes without power!  Ovens, toaster and coffee pots 
went off.  Electric razors and hair dryers stopped humming.  
Alarm clocks did not ring.  People preparing for work had to skip 
breakfast or were made late.  Computers in homes and offices went 
down.  Thousands of people lost their power and had their daily 
routines interrupted.  This is unacceptable!

The Alabama Power Company is responsible for the loss and damages 
its customers suffered.  This long power outages did not occur 
during a storm, but on a brisk spring morning.  According to 
anonymous sources at Alabama Power Company this outages was 
caused by lines on Donovan drive being down.  Why did it take so 
long for the power to get turned back on?  What does this power 
outage indicate about deficiencies in equipment, management and 
customer service?  How can these problems be solved to avoid 
dangerous, life threatening power outages in the future?

Every neighborhood in Montgomery should be protected by a triple 
bypass system or power grid pyramid.  In this manner if one unit 
went out there would be two backup units to immediately reroute 
and restore power to the affected area.

Why has not Alabama Power Company invested the millions of 
dollars it receives in electric bills each month to design and 
build a fail safe, effective and durable power network?  
Something is terribly wrong here and needs fixed before lives are 
lost during a storm or other emergency situation.

In an age where the entire globe is linked by a network of 
communication satellites and the Internet comes into billions of 
people's homes, there is no excuse for prolonged power outages.  
Clearly Alabama Power Company is not providing its customers with 
the best possible service 24 hours per day 365 days a year.  If 
it were we wouldn't suffer extended black outs and the associated 
damages!  Plus, when people are made to miss their morning fix of 
hot coffee, they are very irritable and spew letters of 
discontent to their local newspaper editors!  If the power must 
go out, have it be after I get my morning coffee!


Sincerely,
TerryLynch@aol.com
Montgomery