NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Just how many people were without power or for how long resulting from Saturday night's thunderstorm is anybody's guess because media inquiries went unanswered.
As Headline Surfer reported exclusively, lightning from a fast-moving thunderstorm rolling through the city, struck a substation transmission line and knocked out power for customers in parts of the city.
There were two postings from the NSB Utilities Commission website an hour after power was lost, the latter one stating: "Lightning strikes during the severe storm that came through about 7:30 pm caused significant outages throughout the UC service area. There are crews working to restore electric service as quickly as possible."
This 9:30 p.m. alert followed the initial alert an hour earlier, which had said, "The Lightning caused an outage in the transmission line between Field Street and Smyrna Substations about 7:30 Saturday night. Crews are working in the problem."
Headline Surfer received several calls and e-mails within an hour of the outage inquiring as to when power would be restored. The 24/7 Internet newspaper called the after-hours emergency number and got no answer nor a voice mail. A voice mail message and e-mail were left with Ellen Fisher, the spokeswoman for the utility, but those messages went unanswered.
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