THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 9, 1996 TAG: 9601120698
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
It was dark, deserted and sloshy in downtown Norfolk Sunday night.
At nightfall, a few hours after a series of explosions in the business district's underground power network, the entire area was still without electricity.
Nary a street light, traffic light or neon sign were working properly. Pedestrians and cars were scarce. Some people walking through an increasingly slippery mix of snow and rain were offered rides by sympathetic strangers in passing cars.
``We heard that downtown Norfolk exploded and it ain't no movie,'' one harried man said as he returned to his room at the Ramada Madison, on Granby near Freemason.
After the explosions, which even knocked out power at Norfolk Fire Station No. 1, city and utility officials set up a makeshift emergency center in the foyer of the Waterside Marriott.
Hotel staff served wind-whipped workers and firefighters hot clam chowder and coffee from shiny buffet silver.
``Is this something or what?'' said Ronald T. Wakeham, city director of fire and paramedical services, as he took radio calls from staff scattered throughout downtown.
``Luckily this was a slack day,'' said Karen Nelson, Ramada general manager, from behind a darkened front desk. ``We're moving guests to lower floors.''
The hotel's power supply was cut exactly at 2:30 p.m. she said. A few guests and staff filed through the lobby looking for light, heat and answers.
Nelson, who was speaking over the continual beep of an alarm set off by the outage, said by late afternoon only 10 rooms on the hotels eight floors were occupied.
``The guests have been fine,'' Nelson said. ``We're doing anything we can to accommodate them at this point. If they want to leave, we've been finding places for them.''
Just down the street, Sharon Dvorak, a special education teacher at Red Mill Elementary School in Virginia Beach, said the weather was not a hassle, but a blessing.
``I love it,'' said Dvorak, who was in the area to visit a shop run by her son-in-law. She recalled her childhood days of sledding in the snow.
``Children today don't know what fun is.''
KEYWORDS: EXPLOSION NORFOLK BLACKOUT by CNB