PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Local power companies are dealing with scattered outages that are leaving thousands of Oregonians and hundreds of Washingtonians with lost power.
Utility companies are blaming many of the outages on heavy winds that are reportedly bringing down trees and powerlines.
John Farmer with Portland General Electric urges anyone who sees a downed powerline to stay clear of it and call the utility company immediately.
“We’re taking this very seriously,” said Farmer. “We’re tackling each outage as it comes. Our crews are working as quickly as safety allows.”
PGE said crews prioritize outages that impact what is considered critical infrastructures like hospitals and water treatment facilities. Once power is restored there, crews focus on outages that are impacting numerous customers.
Although outages are mainly scattered, Farmer said there are quite a few in the Gorge due to higher winds.
PGE‘s outage map shows nearly 5,559 households are in the dark as of 4 p.m. The outages span the Portland metro, the Sandy area and Estacada.
Pacific Power is working to restore power to more than nearly 3,000 customers. The utility company is dealing with several outages in the Astoria area.
Clark Public Utilities, which services Clark County and surrounding areas in Washington, says they recently restored power to more than 3,000 households.
If someone’s power is out, officials suggest hanging blankets and towels against windows and pushing them against doors.