Aaliyah BowdenN.C. Central University seemed to be operating under normal conditions Wednesday after experiencing a two-hour power outage early Tuesday morning.
Most of NCCU’s campus was pitch black shortly after midnight. The power was restored in some places at approximately 2:15 a.m., but university police reported at 5:01 a.m. that Annie Day Shepard Residence Hall was still experiencing “power issues.” Traffic was not allowed on Lawson Street between Lincoln Street and Alston Avenue.
NCCU’s internet service was also disabled and began to be restored shortly after the power came back on.
When the power goes out on campus, so does the internet service because of “network closets” that supply power to each building on campus, NCCU Chief Information Officer Leah Kraus said.
“The University invested in UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) boxes that were placed in the residence halls prior to (Hurricane) Dorian,” Kraus explained, adding that power from the boxes lasts only 30 minutes.
Kraus added she did not know the exact cause of the power outage. Police officials were unavailable, but according to an email sent out at 1:56 a.m. two transformers had malfunctioned and caught fire near NCCU’s bookstore. The Durham Fire Department put out the fire as Duke Energy crews repaired the transformers.
