More than 4,000 Redondo Beach and Torrance residents went without power Sunday morning after a car hit a power pole at 4:49 a.m., causing a power surge that killed electricity throughout North Redondo.
A representative from Southern California Edison (SCE) said the car hit a pole near 182nd Street and Inglewood Avenue. SCE responded immediately and by 6:55 a.m. electricity was partially restored to many areas, the SCE representative said.
Neighbors reported seeing sparks and later two instances of a green glow from the neighboring powerlines. Some residents awoke to destroyed appliances because of the power surge. The SCE representative suggested that residents who lost appliances due to the incident can submit a claim to SCE Edison to have their electronics restored.
To prevent loss due to a power surge, which occurs when the company attempts to restore power, SCE suggests unplugging appliances after the power goes out and turning off all light switches except for one, which will alert a cusomter when the power is restored. It is also recommended to use surge protectors for electronics that can’t be unplugged, such as computers and televisions, in order to prevent damage.
Power was slowly restored to all areas, and by noon on Monday nearly everybody had regained electricity. In all, 4,141 customers lost power.
