More than 200,000 still without power following icy NW storm
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Tens of thousands of Oregonians remained without power Tuesday as crews raced to restore electricity after an icy weekend winter storm downed more than 5,000 power lines in the region.
Portland General Electric’s map of power outages listed about 200,000 customers without electricity, while Pacific Power listed about 20,000 in the Salem and Portland area.
A weekend weather system brought heavy snow across the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle seeing more than a foot fall Saturday through Monday.
But it was northwest Oregon that saw the most severe effects as icy conditions downed trees, collapsed roofs and made driving dangerous.
In Troutdale, snow and ice caused a section of a roof to collapse into a Safeway grocery store Sunday afternoon. Authorities said one minor injury was reported.
Late Monday night, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to another partial roof collapse, at a Les Schwab Tires store on Southeast Powell Boulevard. KPTV reported a cleaning crew was present, but everyone made it out safely without injury.
Meanwhile, in Gladstone, six adults suffered carbon monoxide poisoning at a home early Tuesday morning. KPTV reported two were in critical condition. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said it was caused by a generator in an enclosed area attached to the home.
Power outages had Oregon DMV offices closed Tuesday in Dallas, Gladstone, Stayton and Woodburn. One of the agency's three call centers also was closed, and officials warned of long wait times if you try to call.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who over the weekend declared a state of emergency for the greater Portland area, urged people to avoid roads because of treacherous conditions as crews scrambled to restore electricity.
“Utilities in our region have never experienced such widespread outages, including during the September 2020 wildfires,” Brown said in a statement.
Flooding was also a concern in western Washington as milder Pacific air arrived, with snow melting, storm drains clogged and rain expected.
