Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

Few things cause as much frustration as a power outage. In December of 2009, a winter storm settled over northwest Missouri. It started out as rain, turning to snow by morning. Before dawn, however, the damage had already been done. The rain that fell throughout the night created ice layers on anything and everything as the water froze to a beautiful, glass-like finish. We turned on the local news to get the updates, thankful the power was still on and anxious to hear what awaited us outside.

Before the anchor had a chance to bring us up to speed, however, everything shut down. Hoping it was a momentary lapse, we waited for the sound to return as everything fired back up. The waiting continued as power wouldn’t be restored to our area for three days, while others had to wait five. Entire cities were shut down, businesses stopped and activities centered on staying warm by the fire and generators to provide power for that much-needed morning cup of coffee.

While this story focuses on the extreme, it highlights our reliance on power protection when it comes to life and work. We tend to think about what is needed when a storm is looming, but other forces of nature can also take their toll. In Bend, Oregon, that force came in the form of a red-tailed hawk. The severely electrocuted raptor was found dead below a power pole and was believed to be the reason for a local power outage.

In this case, power was out for only 30 minutes for 5,150 Pacific Power customers, mostly in the downtown Bend area. Company officials believe the hawk made contact with two power lines at the same time, causing the electrocution and the subsequent power outage. An investigation is underway, however, as officials aren’t sure of the exact problem caused that would create a widespread power outage from an initial hiccup.

If it is discovered that the hawk did in fact cause the outage, work crews plan to retrofit the power pole to prevent a reoccurrence. The company wants to keep the power on and the local birds protected. This is good news for wildlife organizations and those customers that rely on power to keep their businesses online.

Such unexpected occurrences do happen, however, which puts the focus on the need for power protection. With solutions from companies like Minuteman, you can protect your business-critical hardware, processes and information. When configured correctly, you can even save your data before you lose power, ensuring you can sustain the loss and get back to business when the power comes back on.

We haven’t seen a power outage or storm like that of 2009 in northwest Missouri since, but believe it or not, there are fond memories. The day we all awoke to glistening trees was also my daughter’s eleventh birthday. The loss of power meant no restaurant visit or cake that day, but we did play Uno by the light from the fireplace. It was such a fun change from the norm for her, she wanted to repeat the activity for her twelfth birthday. Thankfully, we could – with the power on.