Service to nearly 3,000 Pacific Power customers in hard-hit Josephine County was restored yesterday and last night

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Pacific Power restored service to approximately 3,000 customers throughout yesterday as crews continued to make steady progress clearing downed trees and making repairs. Felled trees, blocked roads and hundreds of single outages spread across a large area have made the restoration work challenging. At its peak, more than 18,000 customers were impacted from the Jan. 16 winter storm. Approximately 3,000 customers remain without power.

“We’re thankful to all of our customers for their encouragement and understanding as our crews continue to make restoration progress in the wake of the winter storm,” said Dave Lucas, Pacific Power’s vice president of transmission and distribution. “We know how difficult it can be to go without power for an extended period. Our crews are focused on the task at hand and will continue to work around the clock to clear hazards, make repairs and restore service to our customers.”

Good weather will help aid restoration efforts today of the over 300 Pacific Power and contract personnel who are working in the area.

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. Customers and media representatives can also track outages of any size online. Updates will be made as new information becomes available or at least hourly at pacificpower.net/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.
  • Turn on your porch light. After crews complete repairs, they patrol the area of the power failure to see if any lights are still out
  • 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.