During a Sunday morning lull in the storm, residents of Gate 6 ½ Dock noticed ominous clouds of what seemed to be smoke billowing out of the two large transformer boxes that provide household-voltage electricity to our homes.
A quick call was placed to 911 and soon two firetrucks came out. The smoke turned out to be steam from overheated cooling oil within the boxes. The first responders called PG&E, who sent a tech out to investigate. He warned of the danger of electricity leaking into the floodwater that inundated the boxes and our parking lot, so the firefighters retreated to the tops of their trucks to keep an eye on things.
Soon PG&E shut off the power to the dock and, as soon as the floodwater subsided, techs from the power company began to assess the damage. It was determined that one of the boxes needed to be replaced.
The turning circle at the end of our lot was cleared and two giant cranes were moved in, along with various support vehicles. A new box was dropped into place and hooked up so power could be restored by early evening.
Thanks for the fast response, PG&E!
