PORTLAND, OR – Pacific Power has been responding to widespread outages across our Oregon service area. At the peak on Saturday, more than 40,000 customers were impacted by these outages. Pacific Power crews worked tirelessly through the night and have made significant progress. As of 3:00 p.m., just over 10,000 customers around the state were without power. Snow and ice accumulation have resulted in hazardous conditions impacting repair and restoration times. “Our crews in the field, with help from important support staff, have been working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to restore power to our customers,” said Allen Berreth, vice president of transmission and distribution operations. “We are continuing to assess and repair damage from this storm as quickly as we can safely do so.” Certain restorations are proving more difficult, based on access, damage and weather impacts. Some customers in Cottage Grove, Lebanon, Lincoln City and Portland may see outages into Tuesday and possibly even Wednesday. We know that any loss of power is an inconvenience to our customers, especially during cold weather and we thank you for your continued patience. Our crews are working very hard to restore your power. Visit pacificpower.net/outages for a map showing current restoration estimates. Pacific Power encourages customers to report outages by calling 1-877-508-5088 or text OUT to 722797. Text STAT to 722797 to check the status of your outage. To ease the inconvenience of power outages and assist crews in restoring power, Pacific Power suggests the following tips and safety precautions: Stay away from all downed power lines and utility lines. Even if the lines are not sparking, they could be energized and extremely dangerous. Call 911 and report the outage to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088. Don’t drive over downed power lines. If there is damage to your service mast or weather head, where the powerline connects to your home or business, you will need to contact a licensed electrician for repairs before service can be restored. Our crews can only work on company-owned equipment. Check on your neighbors, especially those who may need special assistance. Also, check with others who have electricity, to see if you can visit. If you have power at this time, keep mobile devices charged so that may be used in an emergency. Before anything happens, download the Pacific Power app to your smart device so you can have information readily available. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Most food requiring refrigeration can be kept safely in a closed refrigerator for several hours. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours. Remember your pets! Pets who spend a lot of time outdoors need more food in the winter because keeping warm depletes energy. If you are using alternate heat or cooking sources, remember to allow plenty of ventilation. Never burn charcoal for heating or cooking indoors. If you are using a generator, make sure to follow all manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure the generator is outside and not near any household air intakes. Do not connect the generator directly to your breaker box as this can create a dangerous situation for crews working on the powerlines. Instead, plug essential appliances directly into the generator.
