With more than 10,000 customers out of power, Emerald People’s Utility District (EPUD) is urging customers to stay inside and avoid downed power lines.
“This is a massive storm. We have outages throughout our district,” said Patty Jo Angelini, EPUD public relations coordinator. “Many are caused by downed lines from heavy snow and tree branches. This is extremely dangerous. A downed power line has an overwhelming amount of power running through it and it can kill. We urge our customers to call us if they see any downed line.”
EPUD also advises customers to prepare to be without power for up to a week or more. The National Weather Service in Portland is forecasting icy conditions tonight and tomorrow morning. “That could cause more branches to come down, bringing power lines with them,” said Angelini.
"Be assured that all of our crews have been called in and are working hard to remove downed lines and restore power,” Angelini said.
Emerald PUD is a not‐for‐profit electric utility formed in 1978 by a small group of local citizens who wanted better, customer‐oriented service at the lowest possible rates. Today EPUD serves more than 20,000 meters in Lane County, Oregon.
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