FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3 p.m. Jan. 17, 2020

Media contact: 800-570-5838

Pacific Power restoring power to southern Oregon customers after damaging snowstorm
Progress is being made, but some customers may be without power through weekend

GRANTS PASS, ORE—Pacific Power crews and equipment drawn from across the Northwest are concentrated on restoring power to approximately 9,200 Pacific Power customers in southern Oregon and northern California. At peak, more than 18,000 customers were without power Thursday in the area.

Downed trees and limbs strewn across a rugged landscape are complicating the work of more than 250 Pacific Power crews and contractors working around the clock in the area on more than 200 individual outages.

Restoration work has been challenging due to the large number and geographically dispersed outages.  Especially in the remote areas where Snowcats and other special equipment are needed to deal with conditions. Crews are making steady progress now and expect to continue to restore more customers into the evening.

 The hardest hit area is Grants Pass and surrounding areas with 9,100 without power. Another 100 customer are out in Yreka and Mount Shasta, Calif.

Shelters. Pacific Power is working with the Red Cross and local emergency management to open shelters in areas that are experiencing extended outages. Shelters, where residents can get warm beverages and charge phones, are open at:

• Illinois Valley High School:  625 E River St, Cave Junction, OR 97523,
• Josephine County Fairgrounds:  1451 Fairgrounds Road, Grants Pass, OR, 97527. 

“We know our communities are shouldering the storm’s aftermath,” said Christina Kruger, Pacific Power’s regional business manager. “We are working with local agencies and the Red Cross to try to ease that stress and appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to get power back on as safely and quickly as possible given the challenges we can all see out there. If you know of any specific areas that are hard hit and isolated, let us know.”

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.

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