PORTLAND, OR (Jan. 16, 2024)— Pacific Power is actively working to make repairs and restore power throughout its Oregon service area. Crews on the ground have been working around the clock, as quickly as they can in challenging and dangerous conditions.
Snow and ice accumulation has caused damage to power equipment and is impacting repair and restoration work. Pacific Power anticipates most customers will have service restored by Tuesday evening, but some customers in Cottage Grove and Sweet Home may see outages into Wednesday and possibly Thursday.
Pacific Power is closely monitoring the next storm arriving midday Tuesday into Wednesday, which is expected to bring additional freezing rain and ice. This new round of winter weather could cause additional outages.
“We understand losing power for an extended period of time is a major inconvenience, and we want to assure our customers that our teams on the ground are working as quickly as they can,” said Erik Brookhouse, vice president of system operations. “We thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding as our crews and field personnel work through very challenging conditions to restore service.”
Visit pacificpower.net/outages for a map showing current restoration estimates.
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.
- 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.
About Pacific Power
Pacific Power provides safe and reliable electric service to more than 800,000 customers in Oregon, Washington, and California. The company supplies customers with electricity from a diverse portfolio of generating plants including hydroelectric, natural gas, coal, wind, geothermal and solar resources. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 2 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net.
###
