Power outage temporarily halts operations at Gernsbach tower, necessitating a system restart.
In the heart of Gernsbach, a power outage occurred around 10 am on the 8th floor of the Gernsbach-Nord high-rise, causing concerns for many elderly and sick residents living in the affected building.
The cause of the power outage was a technical defect in the medium voltage network. Gernsbach Utilities received multiple reports about the power outage but are yet to determine the exact cause.
The power outage affected not only residential buildings but also private apartments and businesses, such as Edeka Fitterer in the Woerth garden. The power outage at Edeka Fitterer has caused concerns due to the potential loss of goods worth many tens of thousands of euros, including the loss of cooling and deep-freeze technology.
Residential buildings are not equipped to receive power from emergency generators due to lacking technical prerequisites. However, Gernsbach fire department is equipped with mobile emergency power generators that could potentially supply sensitive infrastructure.
After approximately 15 minutes, the power outage ended, but the elevator remained out of service. The elevator on the 8th floor of Gernsbach-Nord high-rise can only be restarted manually due to a detected error in its technology. A technician will address the issue as soon as possible, but an exact time is unknown.
Some elevators may be immediately operational again after a power outage, while others, such as the one on Baccarat Street, require manual restart and technical checks before they can run again.
The city administration's phone line was busy during the power outage. To address this, the fire department is currently setting up emergency call centers throughout the city of Gernsbach. There will be seven emergency call centers available to citizens.
The city administration has an emergency website for citizens with mobile phones during power outages. Citizens are advised to check this website for updates and information.
The Shell gas station on Hödener Street was also affected, requiring a system restart. The Esso gas station on Igelbach Street was affected, with concerns about the potential interruption of the cooling chain for ice and fresh goods.
In Gernsbach, there is no specific information about a local authority or institution that would provide a mobile emergency power supply for residential buildings in case of a long power outage. However, the nearby town of Ottersweier operates a Photovoltaic system with a backup power reserve of 8 kW, which suggests that communal utilities as potential emergency contacts could be a viable option.
Despite the challenges, the power supply to all affected households was restored by 10:10 AM on the day of the power outage. The city of Gernsbach continues to work diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of its residents and businesses during this time.
