Nov 10, 2008 2:10 pm US/Eastern
Hannah Montana Balloon Blamed For Power Outage
Jose De Diego Middle School Lost Power Along With Homes Within 4 Block Radius
Balloon Hit Power Lines Which Startled Hundreds Of Birds
Birds Flew Off Power Lines Which Dislodged & Fell
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
It was a rough morning for students at a South Florida middle school when the power was knocked out for hours and a Hannah Montana balloon is being blamed for the mishap.
According to Miami fire officials, a helium balloon with popular 'tween superstar Hannah Montana's picture on it, hit some power lines near Jose De Diego Middle School, near NW 5th Avenue and 32nd Street.
The balloon got caught up in some electrical lines around 7:30 a.m. which startled hundreds of birds that usually reside on the lines.
When the startled birds all flew away at the same time, the sudden weight shift caused the electrical lines to dislodge from the post and fall to the ground. The live electrical lines landed on a fence and sidewalk near the school.
Miami Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Ignatius Carroll spoke to
CBS4's Liv Davalos.
"Normally when you drive down the street you see the birds lined up. You never think that birds would be able to disrupt power to a neighborhood."
As students arrived to school, they were kept away from the fence which was electrified, while FPL crews worked on shutting down the grid supplying power to the wires.
The school bell did ring on time because the school ran on the backup generator, but dozens of homes within a four block area also lost power.
Resident Helen Whack says she's lucky she has a gas stove.
"Well I got a gas stove, a gas stove I can cook on and I guess just wait until they fix it. There is nothing I can do."
750 students attend the school and classes were not interrupted.
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and Miami-Dade County School Superintendant Alberto Carvalho were supposed to attend a special rally at the school for Elevate Miami but due to the power outage, it was cancelled. Elevate Miami is a program that provides incentives to students who complete the coursework and reach important academic and behavioral benchmarks during the school year.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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