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Fort Hall Braces For Power Outage

An eight-hour power outage is planned for Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the Fort Hall area.

The Department of Public Safety and the Tribal Emergency Response Organization have coordinated the power outage by Idaho Power on from Wednesday at 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday.

According to a news release, Idaho Power will be updating the service area because the current infrastructure is on the verge of powering down unless critical upgrades are made before warm weather and higher usage occurs. The impact zone covers 49,230 acres and will be from Burns road to Tyhee and from Rio Vista to Ross Fork Creek area.

The outage could impact more than 900 residents, as well as Fort Hall businesses.

?We have several residents, tribal and nontribal, who rely on electricity to power their life-supporting and life-saving equipment,? said Angelo Gonzales, executive director of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, in an email to the station. ?We applaud and appreciate Idaho Power for the upgrading of the current infrastructure, but would appreciate it if Idaho Power would revisit some of their policies, especially when it comes to the overall goal of keeping the residents safe.?

In the event the power outage extends beyond the targeted completion time, a contingency plan has been prepared to maintain continuity of operations for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

The public is encouraged to observe the following precautions:

— Have at least one phone that does not require AC power in case you need to call in an emergency. Keep your cell phone powered.

— Turn off or unplug appliances and other electronic devices. When the power comes back on, surges or spikes may damage equipment.

— You may have to turn off the mean breaker or reset circuit breakers after an outage.

— Be careful with fire. If you use your fireplace for heat, do not leave an open flame and make sure you close your fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying. Put candles on a fireproof surface.

— Check on neighbors with special needs, such as the elderly.

— A full freezer will keep the temperature for 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for 24. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cool for about four hours. Food may need to be placed in an ice cooler.

— Have water available for drinking and for use in the toilet. Put drinking water in milk jugs, and fill the tub with water for the toilet reservoir.

— Have a vehicle full of fuel and ready to use.

Questions or concerns about the outage should be directed to Idaho Power at (800) 488-6151.

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