While power was restored in the Golden Triangle on Wednesday night and Thursday, Columbus steel plant Severstal is still without power.
Company officials either declined or would not comment Friday on how long the outage, caused by a downed Tennessee Valley Authority transmission line, would last for Severstal, or how it would affect its more than 500 employees.
Industry news outlet Steel Market Update reported that in addition to Severstal in Columbus, Nucor steel plants in Tuscaloosa and Decatur are also idle due to damage from Wednesday”s storms or a lack of power.
Steel industry sources also reported Friday that James Hrusovsky, president and CEO of Severstal Columbus since 2008, resigned his post. Hrusovsky has led recent expansion efforts at the plant.
Hello 911, do you deliver?
For most of Columbus, power was down for only six hours or so. But according to Columbus police officials, at least one E-911 call was received by someone who said they were hungry and needed food — only a few hours after the lights went out.
Others who were able to get out of the house made sure they stocked up on the necessities. Local tobacco stores and convenience stores, who were able to remain open, saw a run on beer and cigarettes.
Some of us had food — maybe too much. With the threat of meat spoiling and rumors swirling that the local power outage could last days, many in Columbus fired up their grills. Barbecues and front-porch conversations broke out all over Columbus, which was spared major damage.
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