By Donna Bumgarner

A Nixle report issued Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at 3:44 p.m. stated, “Another mishap at the mill has power out around town again.” Once more the residents of Whitmire faced another long, hot afternoon without power because the wall beside the tower that fell on May 14, 2010 had toppled.
According to Fire Chief Michael Thomas, the workers were demolishing the area beside the tower that fell in May and “she just fell.” No one knows exactly why the wall fell.
After a brief investigation of the extent of the power outage, Nixle issued another advisory message. They stated at 3:56 p.m. that the red light at Church and Railroad Avenue was out and advised the local citizens to be cautious and watch for stop signs in place on Railroad Avenue. It stressed that traffic on Church Street had the right of way.
Due to the layout of the power lines, people living on the same street may or may not have had any power. It all depended on which side of the street they lived on and the line that led to their homes. Duke Energy once more got busy and began the process of restoring power to the area, while a crew came in and cleaned up the debris on the edge of the road. While they were working, yet another part of Central Avenue was closed until further notice. Part of it was already closed due to road repairs.
At 4:51 p.m. it was estimated that the outage would last anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 5 hours, but when residents tried to get through the area around 8:30 the power was still off in certain areas and the road was still closed to the public.
Thanks to the Whitmire Fire Department, the EMS workers, and the local police department, everyone was able to get to their destination without being harmed. The entire front area of the mill was roped off, so local drivers had to maneuver around side streets but everyone adjusted to the situation. The outer areas of the collapse were manned by these hard working men and women who once more made sure that the roads were safe for traffic.