Pacific Power wraps service restoration with weekend focus on remaining isolated areas hardest hit by storm

PORTLAND, Ore. — Restoration will continue throughout the weekend for the isolated pockets still without electric service in the mid-Willamette Valley. But Pacific Power crews and contractors have restored service to 98 percent of customers affected by the snow, wind and ice storms that hit the region beginning a week ago.

At times, upwards of 80,000 Pacific Power customers were without power in the aftermath of the storms. As of 4 p.m. today, about 1,300 customers remain without power and the company is working individually with those customers to return service to them as quickly and as safely as possible.

“This has been an extraordinary effort by our crews and contractors,” said Allen Berreth, vice president of operations. “Our customers also showed tremendous patience during a very trying time. They knew what our people in the field were up against and even though they were facing hardship themselves, customers demonstrated tremendous patience and generosity of spirit. This is the definition of community.”

Berreth continued: “A special thanks goes out to the crews that came to assist us from Rocky Mountain Power within our PacifiCorp family and from MidAmerican Energy and NV Energy in our extended Berkshire Hathaway Energy family.”

With Pacific Power’s restoration work coming to a close, the company is able to offer assistance to Portland General Electric, whose customers have been hard hit by the outage as well. “When it comes to helping Oregonians in time of need, we are all in this together,” said Berreth.

Outage reminders

  • 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 acknowledgements 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.
  • 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.