THE HAGUE –
Large parts of The Hague have been without electricity since about 11.10 a.m., says a spokesman for electricity supplier Stedin. The power outage affected 37,000 customers on the west side of the city. Around 12.30 pm, 4,710 households in the center had power again, other city districts, including Scheveningen, Duindorp and the Statenkwartier still have to wait before the power returns.
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The outage arose after a problem in the main distribution station at the power plant, Stedin reports. The main distribution station was full of smoke and everything had to be well ventilated by the fire brigade before Stedin’s technicians could get to work. The mechanics could enter at 1.30 pm. ‘The end time of the outage is not yet known, but the end is in sight’, Stedin says at 1.45 pm.
Because the power outage lasts a long time, people are already thinking about emergency measures. For example, Julie Hauber says: “I have such a suspicion that today I will eat the entire contents of my freezer.” Stedin does have a tip for Hauber: ‘Keep your fridge and freezer closed during a power outage on a hot day. Then the cold will stay inside and the content will be good. ‘
Traffic on the sidewalk
‘I wanted to make coffee and turned on the appliance to heat up. Then the device fails very quickly, ‘says reporter Pim Markering from Scheveningen. ‘I thought: I have that again. When I walked back to my room, it turned out that all power had gone out. ‘
‘When I looked outside, the trams appeared to be standing still and traffic drove over the sidewalk to avoid the trams. People do understand. But it’s a bit of a madhouse now. ‘
Dunea
HTM reports that several trams on tram lines 1, 11, 15, 16, 17, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9 are temporarily stopped or detoured due to the power outage. The trams are stationary in the Scheveningen area, the Grote Markt tram tunnel and in the center of The Hague.
Due to the power outage, Dunea customers may experience complaints because the hydrophore (an installation that keeps the water supply within a building under pressure) has failed. As soon as the fault has been remedied, it must be restarted, reports the drinking water company.
Officials wait outside
‘There is a lot of fire brigade on the move,’ says reporter Ivar Lingen from the center of The Hague. ‘I just saw them at an apartment complex. This could be because people are trapped in an elevator, but also as a precaution. There are also a lot of police on the street. ‘
‘A lot of people have also left the town hall and are walking around the Spui’, Lingen continues. “Security guards hand out ice creams to people because otherwise they would melt. At the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Zurichtoren, officials are also waiting outside until power is restored. ‘ The town hall is also affected by the power outage. People cannot call 14070 and transactions at the counters are not possible.
