Crews continue to restore power lost due to high winds and gusts
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) — UPDATE 4:50 p.m. Idaho Power crews are continuing restoration work on widespread outages in eastern Idaho caused by the high winds last night.
Estimated restoration times are being provided once a crew is onsite, but customers should be prepared to possibly be out until Wednesday.
Idaho Power is encouraging customers who haven’t yet reported their outage to please do so by emailing outageSP@idahopower.com and providing their name, address (including city), phone number and any outage details.
Customers can get tips for dealing with an extended outage at idahopower.com/outagetips.
ORIGINAL: Rocky Mountain Power crews continue to inspect damage and restore service to customers after winds – in excess of 110 mph in some areas – ripped through areas of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho Monday night and Tuesday morning.
At 11 a.m. MDT, there were nearly 2,500 outages and around 183,000 customer out of service:
- Utah: 170,000
- Idaho: 3,000
- Wyoming: 10,000
The bulk of the outages are centralized from the Point of the Mountain, in Utah County, to the Idaho border.
Rocky Mountain Power is encouraging all customers to be prepared for prolonged power outages with adequate food, water, back-up batteries, power banks etc. Forecasts indicate high winds to continue into tomorrow, and some restoration efforts could be delayed until the gusts subside to ensure safety.
Additional crews and line personnel have been deployed and are assisting in outage restoration efforts, as well as additional customer care agents.
During wind events, Rocky Mountain Power advises customers to tie down items such as tarps, trampolines, outdoor furniture and other items to avoid property damage and debris getting into power lines.
You can call Customer Care at 877-508-5088, use the Rocky Mountain Power app, or text out to 759677 and receive updates during the restoration process.
You can also view the Rocky Mountain Power outage map HERE.
Idaho Power crews are also continuing to work on hundreds of outages across the region, especially in hard-hit eastern Idaho.
Crews that worked through the night to get power back on for thousands of customers are being rotated with fresh crews from across southern Idaho to continue restoration efforts for those remaining without power.
With so many small outages, it’s important for customers to report their outage and not assume they are part of a larger event. Report outages and get updates on current outages by calling 1-800-488-6151.
Many of the outages have been caused by downed lines. Idaho Power reminds everyone to always assume those lines have energy running through them. Never touch them, and never use objects to move or hold up a downed line or any object touching a downed line. Stay back at least 100 feet and immediately call 911 or Idaho Power.
For additional outage information — including FAQs, safety reminders and the outage map — visit idahopower.com/outages-safety/outages. Due to the volume of outages, estimated restoration times are not currently available for many outages.
