Toppled trees, power outages in North Idaho
Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 16 hours, 42 minutes AGO
A section of a tree on Mullan Avenue in Coeur d'Alene rests on the street after being toppled by strong winds Wednesday morning. Gusts of up 55 mph were reported in the area. As of 9 a.m., Avista reported more than 70,000 customers were affected by power outages. A High Wind Alert from the National Weather Service was in effect through late this afternoon.
BILL BULEY/Press
As today’s windstorm moves out of the region and winds begin to subside, Avista crews and staff are fully engaged in responding to widespread electric outages.
“All available crews and resources are dedicated to assessing damage and restoring power,” said Paul Good, Avista’s Director of Operations. “We will share estimated restoration times as soon as assessments are complete. We appreciate our customers’ patience and assure you we are working around the clock until everyone is restored.”
At least one home was struck by a falling tree in Coeur d'Alene.
Assessment and restoration efforts began early this morning, and crews will continue working around the clock until all customers have power restored. At its peak, wind speeds rivaled those of the historic January 2021 windstorm. As of 9 a.m. today, about 71,600 Avista electric customers are without power, with more than 916 separate outage incidents, a press release said.
All available Avista crews are working the outages, including 45 line crews, each with about four linemen, along with six contract line crews, and 40 vegetation management crews.
Outages on Avista’s system began at 5 a.m. Recent rainfall left the ground soft and saturated, contributing to the number of trees toppled by high winds. Across the region, fallen trees contacting electric lines and equipment have caused extensive damage to both transmission and distribution systems.
As Avista’s restoration efforts continue, safety remains our top priority. The number of trees and branches down has created challenging conditions for crews to complete outage assessments and restoration. As it is safe to do so, Avista continues to assess the extent of the damage and restore power. Assessments may take 24 hours or more in some cases, due to the widespread damage, and outages may last multiple days. Estimated restoration times are currently unknown and will be updated as assessments are completed, the release said.
Safety during an outage
With this storm, trees have brought a significant number of power lines down. Customers should treat all power lines as if they are energized. Customers should stay away from any downed power lines, not attempt to remove limbs from downed or sagging power lines, and should not drive over power lines. If customers see a downed power line, they should call 911 immediately and then Avista at (800) 227-9187 to report its location.
Avista suggests customers take the following steps during an outage:
Turn off all the appliances that were on before the power went out.
Unplug electronic equipment, including computers.
Leave a light or radio on as an alert when power has been restored.
Help Avista crews working in a neighborhood know which homes have power by turning on the front porch light.
Do not wire an emergency generator into a home’s electrical system, unless there is a disconnect switch to separate generated power from Avista’s distribution system. Back feed into power lines could injure or kill a lineman working to get electricity restored.
Use a generator only to run specific appliances and locate it outside so poisonous carbon monoxide fumes do not enter the home.