PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Some Oregon school districts have announced they will be closed Friday, Sept. 9 due to potential power shutoffs as the state faces increasing fire dangers.
The school districts announcing closures include Corbett School, District, Gaston School District, Santiam Canyon School District, Silver Falls School District, Sweet Home School District and the Oregon Trail School District.
Additionally, Portland Public Schools announced Skyline and East Sylvan (Odyssey Program) will be closed Friday.
Fire danger is expected to rise starting around mid-day Friday as winds from the northeast ramp up across the region. Some in Oregon and Southwest Washington will be living in areas covered by a red flag warning, while others will be under a fire weather watch.
Portland General Electric alerted their customers to the likelihood of power shutoffs as a result of increased fire danger.
Portland General Electric says it is “likely” they will be shutting off power in 10 high-risk areas on Friday and Saturday — affecting approximately 30,000 customers. In a Wednesday press release, the company said it will only resort to this power shutoff if absolutely necessary.
PGE said these high-risk areas include: The West Hills, Tualatin Mountains, North West Hills, Central West Hills, Oregon City, Estacada, Mt. Hood Corridor/foothills, Columbia River Gorge, Scotts Mills and the Southern West Hills.
Meanwhile, Pacific Power released a schedule of power shutoffs for their customers. The company said the shutoffs will begin at 6 a.m. in parts of Douglas, Linn and Marion counties and 10 a.m. in Lincoln, Tillamook and Polk counties. Pacific Power said temporary resource centers will open 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Residents are advised to make a plan, which includes making a list of emergency contacts, preparing an outage kit, making sure batteries are fully charged or have a generator, having a back-up for extended outages and having a transportation plan in case you need to leave home.