Pacific Power restores service to over 85 percent of customers who lost power in Portland and Willamette Valley

PORTLAND, Ore. — With more than 400 employees and contractors in the field, Pacific Power is in high gear restoring service to customers in Northeast Portland and the Willamette Valley.

At times during the past few days upwards of 80,000 customers in western Oregon experienced service disruption due to the destructive ice storms. As of 4 p.m. today, more than 85 percent of impacted customers, over 70,000 homes and businesses, are now back in service.

“While we have made good progress restoring the majority of customers impacted by this storm, we will continue to work around the clock for the remaining 2,200 customers in Portland without service and 7,700 customers in the Willamette Valley areas,” said Allen Berreth, vice president of operations. “We have appreciated the patience of customers, some of whom have been without power in winter weather for more than 72 hours. Our crews, and those of our sister utilities, are hard at work clearing trees, repairing equipment and getting electricity flowing again as quickly and as safely as possible.”

The company released a new interactive map where customers can view estimated times of restoration in the Willamette Valley by entering an address. The map is available at pacificpower.net/outages-safety/restoration-status.html.

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.
  • Maintain safe distances from workers. Repair work is being done under our COVID-19 safety protocols. Waves and acknowledgement are welcome, but please allow crews to do their work at an appropriate distance both for operational and COVID-19 safety.
  • 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.