I studied power a bit 30 years ago in but now my knowledge is a bit
> more limited so excuse any technical mistakes. Here in Raleigh, NC and
> I'm assume other CP&L/Progress Energy locations, they have been on a
> campaign for a while to loop all the 3 phase feeds from the
> substations so there are few if any "ends of runs". I don't know if
> this started due to Hugo & Fran, just happened at the same time, or
> was accelerated due to them.
I am in Wilmington, NC, which is also "Progress" Energy. Dropping phases is pretty common here, and there is still a pole pig for every house or two, at least in older areas. Maybe we are less of a priority than the capital, even though we are on the coast in an area that seems to Hoover hurricanes.
Looping seems like a good idea, but I know it can cause some headaches when there is a need to drop power to a segment. I live quite close to the main hospital and noticed some rather involved switches near there. Maybe that section is looped and the bad direction can be cut off. We do have a reputation for early restoration.