Updated 11:35 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Lewis County PUD restored power by 4 o’clock this morning to all their customers who lost electricity yesterday, but are back at it as the heavy snow is causing branches and trees to fall on power lines.
Alex Lane, assistant line superintendent, said the calls started coming in again around 6 a.m. today. He estimated this morning about 7,500 customers are without power.
A current outage in the Pe Ell, Doty and Boistfort area he believed was caused by a tree falling across a line about 6 a.m., he said.
The Boistfort area was among the last get power back after yesterday’s calls, he said.
A smaller area affected this morning is in Fords Prairie and Lincoln Creek.
Both PUD and Lewis County Public Works late this morning pulled out of areas west and north of Centralia due to falling trees and seriously icy roads, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
The public is being asked to avoid the areas of Lincoln Creek Road, Michigan Hill Road, Teague Road, Kohse Road, Hyppa Road, Independence Road and Garrard Creek Road because of the associated dangers.
Transmission problems from BPA have affected power to Elbe, Mineral and Ashford this morning, according to Lane.
Crews had a lot of problems yesterday in the High Valley area of Packwood and also Lincoln Creek, according to Lane.
“It’s really snow, rain, built up on the branches and falling on lines,” he said.
About 20 personnel are working today in west Lewis County and 15 or 16 out in the east end, he said. That’s everyone available, he said.
Lane estimated some 10,000 PUD customers have been affected between yesterday and today.
The Olympian reports similar issues with trees in Thurston County, Read about it here
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POWER LINE SAFETY TIPS
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office warns of the hazards presented by downed power lines and offers the following safety advice.
• Consider all wires energized and dangerous. Even lines which are de-energized may become re-energized at any time.
• Stay at least 10 feet away from the wire, because, electricity can travel through the ground.
• Electricity can also travel through tree limbs, so don’t try to remove a limb or other object that is touching or even near a downed wire.
• Don’t ever use any object to move a downed wire.
• If a broken power line falls on your vehicle, stay inside until help comes and warn other not to touch your vehicle. If you must leave the vehicle, jump as far away as possible with both feet landing on the ground at the same time.
• If someone makes contact with a downed power line, don’t try to rescue them because you risk becoming a victim yourself.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Thank you, PUD, for your quick actions in getting power back on. You guys rock!