About 265 in La Pine area still lack power; new storm due

The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter in La Pine on Monday as repair crews struggled to restore power to all affected by a weekend storm that dumped up to 30 inches of snow in southern Deschutes County and Northern Klamath County.

Midstate Electric Cooperative repair crews that again worked through the night have restored most power, with only about 265 members still in the dark Tuesday afternoon.

“Midstate has 1,400 miles of power line in a 5,600-square-mile service territory, so this outage could be for an extended period of time, possibly up to two more nights,” the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported..

At the request of the sheriff’s office, the Red Cross opened a shelter for residents unable to stay in their homes. It is located at:

Calvary Chapel La Pine
16430 Third St
La Pine, OR 97739

Shelter services include blankets, cots, snacks, warm beverages and information resources., said Lisa Stoup, executive director of the Central and Eastern Oregon Chapter of the American Red Cross.

“We’ll have it separated so people can bring their families in if they need to, or if they’re individuals and if they want to sleep with people who are the same type, we can accommodate them in separate rooms,” said Red Cross Team Captain Marden Mull.

For up to date information, the sheriff’s office asked residents to follow:

Local Media
DCSO website — Emergency Information in Quick Links
DCSO Twitter — @DeschutesSO
Midstate Electric Cooperative Facebook page
La Pine Shelter Manager — 541-639-1179

Please only use 9-1-1 for emergencies. If you need non-emergency assistance from the Sheriff’s Office, please call non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.

Please note the following precautions:

* Stay away from downed power lines. Lines may appear to be off or insulated, but NEVER assume that they are off or safe.

* Put on layers of warm clothing and avoid becoming chilled. Never burn charcoal for heating or cooking.

* Only use generators away from your home and NEVER run a generator inside a home or garage, or connect it to your home’s electrical system unless properly wired to do so. This can cause fires and pose a threat to lineman working on the system.

* Maintain ventilation when using kerosene heaters to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and keep them at least three feet from flammable objects.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for late Wednesday to late Thursday for not just a few to several more inches of snow but a threat of freezing rain in some areas before turning to rain.

According to Midstate Electric Cooperative’s online outage map, as of 3:20 p.m. Tuesday, 265 members — about 1.4 percent of the total served — still were without power due to a foot-plus of heavy snow bringing down trees, branches and power lines.

“Our communication equipment is not working properly because of the adverse conditions,” said utility spokeswoman Teresa Lackey. “We want to make sure we are aware of all members who are still without power, so if you do not have power please call our outage number, 541-536-2165 .”

That number was as high as 9,000, or half the total membership, at the worst of the situation on Sunday afternoon.

“This is the largest power outage we’ve had since 1998,” said Dave Schneider, Midstate Electric’s general manager. “The heavy snow conditions are causing many trees to come through the power line, and its not helping that its a heavy wet snow.”

In a Sunday evening update on its Facebook page, Midstate said a crew from Harney Electric in Burns had arrived to help, and that crews would be working through the night to restore power.

Earlier in the day, the co-op reported,, “The large amount of heavy wet snow that fell overnight is causing trees to fall on our power lines, creating widespread outages. The crews are working as hard and fast as they safely can. The heavy snow is making it difficult for the crews to get around.”

“We have contacted all neighboring utilities for help,’ the co-op added. “With the size of the storm, the other utilities are getting a handle on their own outages before they will commit to sending crews. We are trying to contact contractors to come help.

“Remember, if you see a downed power line, keep yourselves and others away and call 911 first and then 541-536-2165,” they added. “Thank you for your patience. Please be safe!”

The situation with outages and slick roads was bad enough that Gilchrist School canceled classes for Monday.

National Weather Service storm spotter reports ranged from 16 inches of snow northwest of La Pine to two inches near Prineville and about 2-3 inches in the Bend area.

Motorist Tony Ace said he counted at least five crashes and slide-offs on Highway 97 south of Chemult Sunday afternoon.

In southern Oregon, slides and debris expanded the closure of Oregon Highway 138 Sunday morning, including an overnight slide 12 miles east of Glide. The closure was a more than 70-mile stretch, from milepost 29 to 100, at its junction with U.S. Highway 199.

The High Cascades area closures also continued for the full length of state highways 230 and 62 from two miles north of Union Creek to the Crater Lake National Park boundary, ODOT reported.

ODOT also reported a “checkerboard of travel restrictions and delays” in southwest Oregon, including chain requirements on mountain passes. Snow was falling in the Roseburg area and the Rogue Valley. Chains were required for larger vehicles over the passes north of Grants Pass.

Catch the latest road conditions at our TripCheck page.

ODOT advised of hazardous driving Saturday afternoon over much of the region, with slide-offs on area highways and a familiar trouble spot — Highway 97 over Lava Butte south of Bend and points farther south, toward Sunriver.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies urged drivers to avoid Lava Butte if possible for much of the afternoon, due to very slick conditions, as several semi-trucks were unable to make it up the butte and blocked the southbound lanes. One deputy radioed a report of blowing snow and whiteout conditions.

Residents in some areas around La Pine said they already had over a foot of snow and it was still coming down.

South of Sunriver, heavy, wet snow caused falling trees and branches that were snapping power lines, initially knocking out power to about 3,000 Midstate Electric Cooperative members, some for several hours, as repair crews scrambled to restore service.

Midstate spokeswoman Teresa Lackey said early Sunday that all available crews would keep working until the power is restored, and that they had “made great progress.”

Lackey said the scattered nature of the outages made it a challenge as crews patrolled distribution lines, looking for trees on the lines, removing them and putting wire back up.

In Bend, snow and rain mixed for much of the day amid strong winds and temperatures hovering close to freezing, making holiday shopping or other travel tricky on slushy roads and parking lots. Then, late Saturday night, it turned to snow, with up to four inches reported around the area.

Drivers planning trips over the Cascades over the weekend were warned to prepare for winter driving conditions and consult TripCheck before setting out.

But the plus side was, finally, a quick-building snowpack in the Cascades, as many hope winter won’t peter out as it did early in this drought-stricken year. Mt. Bachelor reported nine inches of new snow Saturday for a 57-inch snow depth.

The Red Cross in Oregon and Washington has set up shelters for people impacted by a week of flooding, road closures, landslides and power outages.

In Washington, the Red Cross shelter is at the Kelso High School. In Oregon, the disaster resource center is at the Clatskanie High School.

The new storm follows a series of storms that caused rivers to overflow their banks, sent boulders and trees on to highways and spawned a rare tornado.

At least two people were killed in Oregon, a woman who drowned in a car and another whose home was struck by a large falling tree.