WILBUR, Wash. — Some areas across the Inland Northwest lost power Friday morning during the frigid arctic blast.
In the Wilbur/Almira area, hundreds of Avista customers lost power in two different events, which the agency blames on equipment failures. The first disruption happened around 3:30 am, says communications manager David Vowels, impacting just under 300 customers; service was restored by 7:16 a.m.
The second power outage, lasting around 30 minutes, started around 9:30 a.m. and impacted 700 customers.
"Both incidents were not related to current weather conditions," Vowels told KREM 2 News by email.
It was good news for people in the Lincoln County towns as the short outages happened on the coldest day of the year so far.
Carly Johnson, who has lived in Wilbur seven years, says they're no strangers to cold winters.
“This is a little unusual, definitely below what we’re used to," she said. "The negatives is a little extreme.”
Johnson and other residents battled the sub-zero temps with warm coffee at Farmhouse Cafe. Employees there said they never lost power at the restaurant, but one side of town did have a 20-minute outage.
“Thankfully we have a wood stove so it didn’t get too cold," Johnson said of the brief outage. "That’s pretty much the standard around here.”
Smoke from chimneys were bright signs that things weren't too dire Friday. Almira's School District closed school Friday morning due to power outages, but by mid-afternoon lights were on inside the district building.
With more bone-chilling temperatures in the weekend forecast, Johnson said she and others are prepared to stay warm even if longer outages do happen.
“Blankets, man! I guess the generators can for sure help," she said. “I know a lot of people are filling up their bathtubs just in case. My mom bought a pack of batteries today for flashlights.”
FEMA has some recommendations for lengthy power outages in winter:
- Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight layers
- Turn off and unplug appliances and electronics to avoid power surges
- Close off unused rooms to keep heat in areas of the home you need it most
- You can also open cabinets to keep warmer air circulating around pipes
- Let faucets drip to prevent pipe freezes
- Never use a generator, gas or open flame heat source inside, which can put you at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
For Johnson, a little caffeine helped take some of the chill off the day. She just hopes others are doing what they can to keep their whole families warm.
“Keep your dogs and cats inside. Give them a nice, warm blankie and a kiss goodnight," she laughed.
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