EPUD has been closely monitoring the forecasted weather and Red Flag Warnings and coordinating with local public agencies, including other utilities. In preparation for critical fire weather conditions including wind, high temperatures, and low relative humidity, which is expected to arrive at approximately 12 AM Friday and continue through 11 PM Saturday, the operation of EPUD’s electrical system will be modified to decrease the risk of igniting a fire. This may include one or more of the levels shown below.
We are aware of neighboring utilities proactively shutting off power before Red Flag Warnings go into effect. Please note that EPUD currently has no plans to implement a proactive power shut off. It is important to note that each utility has a distinctive service area with its own topography, vegetation, and risk factors. For this reason, the way local utilities approach wildfire prevention and mitigation will vary.
EPUD staff will be monitoring conditions all weekend and adjusting our system operations in response to actual conditions. Although we will try hard to avoid it, this could include a preventative public safety power shutoff if conditions worsen. Because we can’t guarantee advanced warning, please prepare to be without power for an extended period this weekend.
PREPARE NOW
Customers are urged to plan for an extended outage this weekend. This could be as a result of a fault on the line or by the utility proactively shutting off an area. Restoring power may be delayed until late Sunday, as crews must manually patrol each line before it is re-energized.
If you rely on power for health care or life-support equipment, find alternate ways to meet your needs. For those who rely on electricity for water supply, now is the time to consider filling tanks for members of your household, pets, and livestock.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MODIFICATION LEVELS
LEVEL 1
Operation of the electrical system is modified by disabling reclosers. Outages are more likely to occur, could impact larger areas, and outage response times will likely be slower.
LEVEL 2
The electrical system is further modified, escalating to a “hyper sensitive” setting. This will increase possible outages and affected areas. Outages occurring at this level will not be restored until fire weather conditions have ceased.
LEVEL 3
Portions of the electrical system are proactively de-energized. This can happen with little or no forewarning. Affected areas will remain without power until fire weather conditions have ceased.
RED FLAG WARNINGS
The National Weather Service in Portland has issued two Red Flag Warnings affecting EPUD's service territory:
- The first begins at 12 AM Friday and extends through 11 PM Saturday. It covers the Cascades foothills, including Mohawk Valley, Fall Creek, Hills Creek, Wallace Creek, Lost Creek, and London Road.
- The second begins at 11 AM Friday and extends through 11 PM Saturday. This warning covers the rest of EPUD’s service territory.