Snow forecast puts winter preparation in focus
PORTLAND, Ore. — A winter storm forecast to hit the Northwest early next week may bring windy conditions and snow to Portland, the Willamette Valley and the Columbia River Gorge. Pacific Power is urging its customers and the public to take precautions to stay safe and comfortable.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and are ready to deploy crews as needed should the storm cause any substantial outages,” said David Lucas, vice president of operations. “We work throughout the year pruning trees and making sure dangerous limbs are not too close to powerlines. Wet heavy snow on tree limbs is the biggest power outage risk with a storm like this.”
When outages occur, Pacific Power is prepared to keep customers informed of efforts to restore service and get them through an outage.
“We are ready to assist you whenever you need help with your electric needs,” said Barb Coughlin, vice president of customer service. “Before the storm arrives, please visit our website and sign up to get text, email or phone alerts to stay informed about outages that affect you. You can download our mobile app to report power problems or get real time outage updates as well. We also have 250 Customer Care Specialists working rotating shifts 24 hours a day so customers can always reach us with service-related questions or needs.”
Sign up for alerts or download the Pacific Power app by going to pacificpower.net.
Every home should have an Emergency Outage Kit that includes the following:
- Flashlight
- Battery-operated radio and clock
- Extra batteries
- Non-perishable foods
- Manual can opener
- Bottled water
- Blankets
If a power outage occurs, Pacific Power encourages customers to first check their fuses and circuit breakers. If the power failure is not caused inside the home or business, customers should report the outage to Pacific Power by texting OUT to 722797 or calling 1-877-508-5088.
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. In fact, unless necessary, don’t drive as roads will be hazardous.
- Turn on your porch light. After crews complete repairs, they patrol the area of the power failure to see if lights are on.
- Check on your neighbors, especially those who may need special assistance. Also, check with others who have electricity, to see if you can visit.
- Keep mobile devices charged so that may be used in an emergency. Before anything happens, sign up for Pacific Power alerts or download the Pacific Power app to your smart device so you can have information readily available.
Pacific Power also thanks customers in advance for their patience during power outages. Crews make every effort to keep outage durations to a minimum and to restore power safely and quickly.
Customers and media representatives can also track outages by checking our outage maps on the Pacific Power app or online at pacificpower.net/outage.