12-7-07 Pacific Power FlashNews Update 4:30 p.m.

Thousands of lights are coming on in Clatsop County this afternoon. As of 4:30 p.m., power has been restored to all except about 7,500 Pacific Power customers.

Most customers in Astoria and Warrenton have been restored. The Seaside-area substation was energized about 3 p.m. today. Since then, electricity is being restored in stages to local customers. Most of these customers should be restored by midnight tonight.

Cannon Beach residents continue to receive a portion of their energy needs from portable generators. However, transmission lines are in final stages of being rebuilt that will allow this substation to be energized later tonight. Customer restoration should begin soon after because most of the distribution system served from this substation already has been repaired. Estimated restoration time for most of these customers is Saturday.

Further north, there are still 900 customers in the Young’s Bay area without electricity as crews continue work to rebuild a mile of distribution line. This work should be completed and the customers’ power restored later tonight.

As major lines are rebuilt and substations re-energized, there still may be some areas without electricity, depending on damage to local power lines and circuits. Work will continue through the weekend to restore customers’ service and to clean up work areas. There also remain many leaning trees and other hazards that need to be cleaned up along power lines to help prevent additional damage and resulting new outages.

The work to reach this point was arduous due to the extremely destructive storm damage. Preliminary damage estimates just on Pacific Power’s system include 117 damaged transmission poles and 215 damaged distribution poles, along with the need to replace 62 miles of transmission line. This is more than twice the destruction in Clatsop County caused by the December 2006 windstorm.

Knowing the hardship the damage from this storm has caused on local communities, Pacific Power appreciates the patience of customers and community leaders, and the outstanding support given Pacific Power crews as they’ve worked tirelessly under extremely hazardous conditions to rebuild the system and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.

Re-energizing must be done in stages, because if too much demand is put on the system too quickly it could cause the circuit to shut down. As power is restored, customers are asked to conserve electricity to reduce demand until electricity can be fully restored to the area. Pacific Power customers are asked to turn ON porch lights to help patrolling crews confirm when power is back on in particular areas.

Also, as the system is energized, it becomes even more critical to watch out for any remaining downed lines and reporting them immediately by calling 1-877-LITES OUT (1-877-548-3768). Always assume downed lines are energized and dangerous, and never go near them.

Customers also can assist in restoration by checking their individual meter and the electric service line entering their home because, if damaged, repairs may need to be made by a licensed electrician before Pacific Power can safely reconnect their service.