Failed Breaker Leaves Camden in the Dark
CAMDEN, Tenn. – Power outages in Benton County affected homes and businesses, Thursday. One of the affected residents was James Latendresse who said he uses electricity to operate his oxygen machine. “They don’t realize how much a problem it causes an entire area,” he said. Besides Latendresse, there were nearly 3,800 other residents in the city of Camden who began having power outages around Noon. Residents said they continued for hours causing businesses to temporarily shut down and residents to worry while at work. Terry Gibson said he thought of all his food was in jeopardy without power. “Everything I got in the freezer, everything I’m depending on to eat in the next few months,” he said. One of the many affected businesses was Cody’s Country Store. Employees there said they lost revenue today without the ability to prepare food, run credit cards or allow customers to pump gas. “We needed to cook the burgers, those didn’t get cooked. The barbecue had to be heated up, the buns had to be warmed, the drinks were getting hot,” said employee Cody Chamness. Benton County Electric said a breaker failed, affecting their east substation. Benton County Sheriff Tony King said the jail was temporarily without power as a result. The lack of electricity caused street lights to not work, making driving more dangerous as well. “Traffic lights would be the wildest part, Especially along (U.S. Highway) 641with all the congestion down in there,” James Letundresse said. Benton County Electric Manager Raymond Barnes did not return calls to comment on the matter. Residents said they can not believe the entire city was inconvenienced. “The price we pay here for electricity is really high. The price of electricity around here they’re real proud of it,” said Terry Gibson. The cause of the breaker failure is unknown. All power was returned to the city.
