Pacific Power offers tips to prepare for winter weather

Winter weather is beginning to settle in across the Pacific Northwest. Pacific Power is urging its customers and the public to take precautions to stay safe and comfortable.

“Storm season can cause significant damage to the electrical grid,” said David Lucas, vice president, operations. “One way we minimize interruptions to your electric service despite the storms is by paying close attention to trees near power lines.

“In 2018, we pruned 265,000 trees on 5,700 miles of lines investing more than $29 million to remove hazards and make the lines more resilient. Based on experience, we’ve anticipated and prepared for this weather and the outages that could occur by staging crews and equipment strategically so that we are able to deploy them where they are needed when the time comes.”

When outages occur, Pacific Power is ready to keep customers informed of efforts to restore service and get them through an outage.

“We are ready to assist you whenever you need help with your electric needs,” said Barb Coughlin, vice president of customer service. “Reporting outages and receiving updates is easier than ever. Outages can be reported via the website, through our mobile app, or by telephone at 1-877-508-5088.”

New this year is the ability to report an outage via text messaging. Text OUT to 722797 to report an outage. Text STAT to 722797 to check the status of your outage.

Please visit our mobile app or website to update your outage alert preferences, email address and phone number. Keeping this information updated ensures you will be able to report outages and receive updates using these quick and easy options.

Download our mobile app (www.pacificpower.net/ya/app.html) to report power problems or get real time outage updates. Outage information is always available by viewing our outage maps on the mobile app and website at pacificpower.net.

Every home should have an Emergency Outage Kit that includes the following:

Flashlight Battery-operated radio and clock Extra batteries Non-perishable foods Manual can opener Bottled water Blankets

To ease the inconvenience of power outages and assist crews in restoring power, Pacific Power suggests the following tips and safety precautions:

Stay away from all downed power lines and utility lines. Even if the lines are not sparking, they could be energized and extremely dangerous. Call 911 and report the downed line to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088. Don’t drive over downed power lines. Turn on your porch light. After crews complete repairs, they patrol the area of the power failure to see if lights are on. Check on your neighbors, especially those who may need special assistance. Also, check with others who have electricity, to see if you can visit. Keep mobile devices charged so that may be used in an emergency. Before anything happens, download the Pacific Power app to your smart device so you can have information readily available.

Pacific Power also thanks customers in advance for their patience during power outages. Crews make every effort to keep outage durations to a minimum and to restore power safely and quickly.

Customers and media representatives can also track outages of any size online. Updates will be made as new information becomes available or at least every 15 minutes at pacificpower.net/outage.