Outages wind down across North Idaho

Most Avista customers had their power restored after a major windstorm swept through North Idaho on Wednesday morning, Avista said.

About 11,000 customers were without service late Thursday. All power should be restored by Sunday.

There are currently more than 350 personnel in the field, including 45 Avista line crews, 36 contract crews and 30 vegetation management crews. 

Wednesday’s windstorm caused widespread damage to Avista’s infrastructure. The moisture on the ground from the recent rain, combined with strong winds, brought trees and vegetation into contact with power lines and poles, pulling them to the ground.  

After the winds died down, Avista crews patrolled hundreds of miles of line on foot, by vehicle and by helicopter, navigating treacherous terrain and fallen trees and debris, according to a press release. 

The remaining repairs will be time-consuming with hundreds of poles and miles of wire impacted across the system. One power pole can take up to eight hours to replace, Avista said.

Avista said some customers in the Silver Valley may not have power until Sunday. 

Kootenai Electric Cooperative crews continued to make progress throughout the day, restoring power to about 1,500 members, according to a KEC news release.

Crews are continuing to work into the night to restore power to about 1,000 members related to more than 40 separate outages. 

Harrison/Plummer/Ogara: Workers restored power to most community members in these areas. 

Due to broken poles and extensive damage, any remaining KEC members in the Plummer area will have power restored by Friday at the earliest.

Twin Lakes: Boat access-only areas could be restored by Friday.  

Rockford Bay/Setters: Members should plan to be without power for at least another day.  

Hayden Lake: More power is expected to be restored Friday.