DAPHNE — Severe storms that rolled through the area over the weekend left thousands in the dark. Customers of Riviera Utilities in Spanish Fort, Daphne and Point Clear experienced outages on Sunday due to limbs and trees toppling onto power lines. Rain-saturated ground made it easier for the heavy winds to push over trees.

David Horton, public affairs manager of the Foley-based provider, said transmission lines were damaged in Daphne, and limbs took out additional lines south of Fairhope.

“We had some trees get across some of our three-phase lines, and it took quite a bit of time to cut it out and get it back on. Once we got it back on, we had a relay problem at one of the substations. We had to do some switching.”

Horton said large trees had to be cut and removed from the lines before any restoration of service could begin. Such operations can be lengthy, depending on the damage crews discover.

“There were trees down everywhere that created multiple problems for us. All in all, it was a very busy day,” he said.

Around 4,500 Riviera customers were without power on Sunday, with 2,970 of those located in the Point Clear area. Only a handful of customers were without electricity the entire day, and Horton said all homes and businesses were restored as soon as possible.

Horton said, “We may get some up pretty quick. Others may take time, depending on where the lines are.” Point Clear customers experienced outages between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; most Spanish Fort and Daphne customers were without service only between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Walmart Supercenter in Daphne was just one of the business users impacted, and managers there closed the store until the power was back on.

The storm caused little damage to lines in Foley, so most of the 50 technicians working on Sunday were assigned to the Eastern Shore. Horton noted that anytime crews are sent out in dangerous conditions such as a thunderstorm, they first assess the damage and make plans for repair. Only when the worst of the storm has subsided does work begin.

“Safety is our first and foremost in our policies. If it is unsafe for our guys to be out, we wait for the storm to pass.”