By By Lisa Tindell and Lydia Grimes
Businesses and residents in the downtown area were without power for just over six hours Tuesday after a power pole was demolished in downtown Brewton.
Just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, a close turn by an 18-wheeler resulted in the downing of a utility pole at the intersection of St. Joseph and St. Nicholas Avenues in downtown Brewton.
When many downtown employees came to work at 8 a.m., they were met by computers that wouldn't work, lights that would not turn on and telephones that would not work. As the morning passed, merchants and business owners abandoned the stores and took refuge on the boardwalk where the benches offered a place to rest and a breeze cooled the air.
Lamar Ward, a construction specialist with Alabama Power's Brewton office, said there were a couple of problems resulting from the accident.
Work crews were in place soon after the incident to replace the pole and associated wiring. Power was restored just after noon Tuesday.