LIFE-SAVING INFORMATION ABOUT DOWNED POWER LINES: Whether caused by severe weather or by vehicle accidents, downed power lines are dangerous and can be DEADLY.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE - Crews hit it hard today & made great progress with repairs and restorations. As we move through the District, restoration dates are gradually becoming more predictable in some areas. There is still much work to be done but crews are making excellent progress.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Crews are out across the entire district again this morning! This includes all available EPUD staff, 14 outside mutual aid crews, and more on the way!
⚠️ IF YOU MUST EXIT THE VEHICLE due to fire or other serious danger, wrap your arms around yourself and jump clear of the car. DO NOT allow your body to touch the ground AND the car at the same time. Shuffle away slowly, keeping your feet on the ground at all times.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE⚠️
EPUD crews and 100 extra linemen from neighboring utilities and contractor crews are back at it! We're expecting bigger restoration numbers today and will keep you posted with our progress.
Stay tuned for more updates!
⚠️ STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE
If your vehicle hits a pole or downed line, STAY INSIDE. Even if a power line is not directly in contact with your car, the area near your car may be energized. Call 911 and shout to any bystanders to stay away from your vehicle.
Retirees Jerry, Scott, and Jeff are back and assisting with outage restorations and pitching in wherever they're needed. These 3 were dedicated, dependable, and knowledgeable employees for many years before retirement, and they haven't changed at all!
⚠️ STAY AWAY
NEVER go near downed lines. Downed lines can be live even if they don't look like they are, and they can become energized at any moment. Stay far away from them and do not touch anything that the downed lines are touching, such as trees, cars, fencing, etc.
A big SHOUT OUT to the 5 loaner crews helping to restore power! We have 4 line crews (Salem Electric,
@crpudUtility
, McMinnville Power & Light, Forest Grove Light & Power) & a crew from Professional Underground to help with ground work.
#MorePowerfulTogether
#PublicPower
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: EPUD crews are back in the field this morning & hitting repairs hard. We also have 4 crews joining us from Cache Valley Electric & Christensen Electric and expect power restorations to pick up speed today.
We'll provide updates on progress throughout the day.
⚠️ CONSTRUCTION/FARM EQUIPMENT
The same rules apply to those using construction or farm equipment. If your vehicle comes in contact with an overhead power line, stay in the cab and warn others to stay away until the line has been de-energized by a utility lineman.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: EPUD crews and the crews from Salem Electric, Columbia River PUD, and McMinnville Power & Light worked through the night making repairs. Forest Grove Light and Power will also join us today to assist in restorations.
⚠ OUTAGE UPDATE: Current outages include areas of Noti, Junction City, Marcola, Mohawk, Cottage Grove, Lorane, Springfield, Jasper, & Fall Creek due to snow. Crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.
Updates will be posted as new information becomes available.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: Harsh weather & difficult terrain make the most challenging restoration tasks even harder. Our friends from
@TillamookPud
have the daunting task of restoring customers near CG Reservoir. To accomplish this, power line must be rehung over and across the water.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: All crews have returned to the field, fired up to get more homes back in power. That includes all mutual aid crews from neighbor utilities, contractor crews, and also all of EPUD's crews. Many hands are working to restore service in all areas of the District.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Repair work continues and pockets of restorations are happening. Unfortunately, the weather continues to work against us, with ice-heavy trees still falling and causing new and repeated outages. Downed transmission lines have also hampered restoration efforts.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: We are still experiencing large and widespread outages throughout our District and conditions are still very dangerous.
Crews are patrolling the district this morning to assess damage to our equipment. They will begin making repairs when it is safe to do so.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: We are signing off, however our crews will continue to work on making repairs through the night. We'll be back at 6 am with more updates!
All hands on deck! We have staff from various departments helping out in the warehouse and managing the materials, keeping them organized and accessible to crews.
BIG THANKS to Dale, Randy, Henry, Brandon, and Greg for your part in supporting the restoration efforts!
Outage-causing damage comes in a variety of forms. This pole fire following the snowstorm was just one of the issues EPUD's Serviceman Mark addressed this week. 👷⚡
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE⚠️Progress with rebuilding main lines in recent days has been reversed due to yesterday's weather changes/new damages. Today, crews are restarting the restoration process & addressing hundreds of new public safety issues.
We do have some good news to share:
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: We are experiencing widespread outages throughout our District. More than 9,000 customers are affected. The primary cause is the weight of snow bringing down trees and limbs on lines. STAY AWAY FROM DOWNED LINES! They may be live and can be deadly!
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: EPUD crews and 4 crews from Cache Valley & Christenson Electric are back in the field. They are spread out and making repairs before the next wave of freezing rain hits, which could cause additional damage & new and/or worsened outages. More updates coming soon.
A State of Emergency was declared for Lane County last night. This opens up the pathway to federal (FEMA) assistance. Our staff is working with Lane County and other local agencies to establish preliminary damage assessments.
⚠️FIRE WEATHER & OUTAGES - EPUD is NOT participating in the 5 PM power shutoff event being implemented by Lane Electric and EWEB; however, customers should still prepare for an extended outage in case conditions change. Details at
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Power has been restored to approximately 700 customers in the areas north and west of Creswell! While this is exciting news, we don't expect more restorations of this size tonight. Trees are still coming down in some areas, making those locations unsafe.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE⚠️
"Unloading" ice is causing new damages and new outages. Unloading means that as ice starts to melt, it will suddenly fall off an entire span of wire. This puts sudden, violent shock on poles, and is happening throughout our service territory.
Approximately 400 customers remain without power. All crews are back in the field this morning, working to drop that number to ZERO!
Stay tuned with us today for the day's crew locations, updated ETRs, news, photos, and more.
#PublicPower
#thankalineman
#thankatreetrimmer
⚠️IMPORTANT OUTAGE UPDATE ⚠️
Due to freezing rain, dangerous icy roads, road closures, and falling trees, we are making the difficult decision to pull our crews in for the night. This has become a critical safety issue.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Crews are working two I-5 crossings today to connect main lines. One will be done in Creswell and the other in Saginaw.
In the first photo, EPUD Shop Lead Jim Pray and Short Mountain Landfill Temp Jake Landstra show the arm spreader tool they built from scratch.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: We just restored power to many of our customers on Hwy 99 in Creswell! This includes the park at 700 N Mill!
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
We're grateful for the help sent to us from Cache Valley Electric. There are many repairs needed throughout the District but EPUD crews and aiding crews are tough & determined to get it done!
A more detailed post with specifics about area restorations is coming soon. Stay tuned!
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Good news for Veneta customers! Most of the Veneta area has been restored. This happened at approximately 4:15 this afternoon after transmission lines were reestablished.
More updates to come.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: This is our last update for tonight. Crews have made their way in for the night, but we still have staff available for safety issues as we've done from the start.
Today, crews reported a better day with more completed repairs and restorations.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: Other utilities in the area are experiencing the same magnitude of damage as EPUD. This includes damage to BPA & PP&L transmission lines that feed some of our substations. All of us are working to restore power & using all available resources to do it quickly.
▪️ We have 12 mutual aid crews helping or on their way!
▪️ This includes contractors from Christenson Electric, Cache Valley Electric, & Michels Pacific Energy!
▪️ We also have
#PublicPower
utilities
@TillamookPud
, Tacoma Public Utilities,
@Clatskanie_PUD
, &
@crpudUtility
!
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Repair work is continuing but there are many repairs needed. Our top priority is removing downed power lines. This does not include repairing those lines. Downed lines will be removed to allow clear passage, but repairs of those lines will come later.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: As crews work their way through the district, they interact with many appreciative customers. Some of the best experiences are those with our youngest "customers" - the kids! Take a look at this beautiful artwork given to crews to say 'Thank you'. ❤️
EPUD's yard was a flurry of activity early morning as crews prepared to go back into the field. With help from our friends at Salem Electric,
@crpudUtility
, McMinnville Power & Light, Forest Grove Light & Power,
@TillamookPud
, and
@WOECooperative
, we're making
#SteadyProgress
!
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: Crews are powering up Pleasant Hill, Cottage Grove & Lorane areas! 💡Progress made on Hwy 58 near Staffordshire; Ridgeway Rd; Kensington Dr; Taylor Butte Rd off Hillside; Territorial off Lorane! And there are more to come!
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: This is Mark, 1 of 3 servicemen who are focusing on removing, repairing, or de-energizing downed power lines. They are moving through the district to get to them all!
#StayAwayStayAlive
#MorePowerfulTogether
⭐ Meet Kelsey! ⭐ She's 1 of 5 EmPOWERing Scholarship winners in 2018! She's studying pre-business administration at U of O & considering a degree in accounting. Congratulations, Kelsey! Learn more about EPUD's
#scholarship
program at .
#PublicPower
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Power is restored to areas of Coburg! There is a small portion of the north Coburg Road area that remains without power due to a pole replacement that's needed, but that work is happening now.
More updates coming soon!
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: This morning, we have 55 line workers and 10 tree trimmers working to remove downed lines and restore power! Crews are working in areas of Cottage Grove, Creswell, Alvadore, Elmira, Marcola, Pleasant Hill and Fall Creek.
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: EPUD General Manager Kyle Roadman provides the latest information about repairs and power restorations following the January 13 Ice Storm. Watch the full video at
This tool makes the process of getting the lines over the freeway much safer and more efficient, saving the lineworkers' time by allowing them to move 4-5 lines at once. This means they can move 4 wires in one go instead of performing 4 separate crossings.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: Potelco, Inc is getting it done in Pleasant Hill! BIG THANKS to the crew for their assistance with restorations! More to come!
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
The crossings will allow crews to start more restorations in the Saginaw/Creswell areas.
DID YOU KNOW❓
This work requires a rolling stop on I-5. A rolling stop means ODOT slows traffic down to 30-40 MPH so the utility has time to do the wire crossing.
⚠ OUTAGE UPDATE: We have a large outage affecting approximately 1,700 customers in Eugene, Goshen, Creswell, and Marcola. No estimated time of repair is available but crews are working to restore power.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE 1/22 - CREW LOCATIONS & ETRs
We hear you. Customers want ETR information for their specific streets. We are working to establish these details for all remaining affected areas and expect to be able to provide the additional detail you are looking for tomorrow.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: This is our last update for tonight. Crews covered a lot of ground today:
▪️ Assessed damages throughout the District
▪️ Restored power to North Creswell
▪️ Restored Natron area
▪️ Restored Staffordshire area
▪️ Addressed many downed lines and safety concerns
Also, multiple highway crossings are down or blocked which is slowing our crews' progress. We have crews from other utilities coming to help soon. We will have additional information to share about restoration efforts at approximately 1 PM today. Please check back for updates.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: Our crews' main focus right now is to deal with downed lines & safety issues throughout the district. We have requested assistance from utilities outside of the area to help with repairs. Report outages at 541-746-1583 / / SmartHub app
It's NATIONAL LINEMAN APPRECIATION DAY! 👷♂️⚡️ Today we recognize the hard work put forth to keep the lights on, & celebrate the crews that make it happen. They do it because they are committed to you, our customer-owners. They do it because they are
#PublicPower
#ThankALineman
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: This morning, crews are working to restore power in Junction City, Marcola, Creswell, Pleasant Hill (Kensington, Ridgeway, Hwy 58), London Road, Taylor Butte, CG Lorane! 💡 More to come!
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: The BPA transmission line to Veneta and Noti was lost again, leaving approximately 1,600 customers in the area without power. We will post updates as new information becomes available.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Crews are making progress and isolating areas to begin repair work. There are poles/wire down all throughout the District, including on 1-5. These repairs will take time to fix. This photo is an example of what we're seeing all over our service territory.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: To restore power more quickly, crews find creative ways to make repairs.Take a look at these before and after photos of a pole that was broken in the storm. Quick-thinking crews made this fix to avoid a time-consuming pole replacement!
#MakingProgress
👷♂️It's
#LinemanAppreciationDay
! These are our linemen, the
#powerbehindthepower
. Any time of day or night, in all kinds of weather, they respond quickly to restore service. Join us in celebrating them for their dedication and hard work, & for keeping the lights on.
#ThankALineman
It’s
#PublicPowerWeek
, a time for EPUD and utilities like us to celebrate! We celebrate the benefits we deliver to our customers by being a
#PublicPower
Utility.
Here’s our Energy Expert Becky pointing out a few of those important benefits.
⚠️ OUTAGE UPDATE: Crews restored power for 1,200 customers today. Learn where they'll focus their efforts tomorrow. Read more at
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Fewer than 400 customers remain without power. Efforts continue as crews push to restore service before the weekend. Read more at
#MakingProgress
#MorePowerfulTogether
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: We are currently experiencing a widespread outage in the Pleasant Hill, Dexter, Jasper, Creswell, and Eugene areas. Approximately 1,800 customers are affected. We do not have an estimated time of repair; however, crews are working to restore power.
RED FLAG WARNINGS END WITHOUT INCIDENT IN EPUD’S SERVICE TERRITORY - EPUD and surrounding communities braced for wind and were fortunate to have avoided the extreme conditions that were forecast. Read about the actions EPUD took at
This crew is eager to assist
@ConsumersPower
after heavy rain/wind caused outages for thousands of their customers. Rick, Jake, Neil, Jesse, & Todd will spend the next few days here, working to restore power - & they're happy to help. This is
#PublicPower
.
#MorePowerfulTogether
.
⚠️OUTAGE UPDATE: Widespread outages due to heavy winds, concentrated in the Fern Ridge/Alvadore & Jasper/Fall Creek areas, with scattered outages outside Cottage Grove & in the Mohawk Valley.
Crews are working to restore power. No estimated times of repair yet available.