By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
Much of Lincoln County was hit with another series of power outages Tuesday afternoon when two large Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District transmission lines went out affecting more than 19,000 residential and business customers.
Central Lincoln found the causes of both outages – ice-laden lines thawing and touching another line – and were undertaking repairs to restore service.
The first outage occurred about 1 p.m. Tuesday, knocking out service from the South Beach area of Newport all the way south to Carl Washburne State Park south of Yachats. By 4 p.m. Central Lincoln had restored power to many customers from the Alsea Bay bridge to the Yachats River bridge and was slowing bringing others back on line.
That outage was caused by ice thawing on one line, bouncing up when the ice fell off and the line making contact with a sagging line above it, CLPUD said in a social media post. The lines in the first Tuesday outage were on Hidden Valley Road just east of Newport, said utility spokesman Mark Freeman.
The second outage occurred about 2:50 p.m. Tuesday and knocked out power to thousands of customers from Newport north through Depoe Bay to Lincoln Beach. Most of those customers had only just had power restored 24 hours earlier after being without electricity for three days.
Freeman said Central Lincoln crews located the cause of the second outage in Newport Heights, where icy lines once again made contact after thawing. Power to customers was slowly being restored at 5 p.m., he said.
The outages forced a second day of cancelled classes at Oregon Coast Community College on Wednesday.
Lincoln County School District officials made a decision early Wednesday morning to close all schools for the day Wednesday and cancel activities. The district notifies students and families through its website, Facebook page and internal messaging system.
But Central Lincoln said the issue may repeat itself as more icy lines thaw the rest of the week.
“Please be warned that this may continue to happen as ice melts and falls,” CLPUD said in a Facebook post.
Freeman said Central Lincoln has four crews made up of 3-4 linemen working the outages aided by three crews that came from utilities in Clatskanie and Moses Lake, Wash. under a mutual aid agreement. Another three mutual aid crews are arriving Wednesday. There are also three CLPUD single person crews working on smaller neighborhood issues, he said.
Below is YachatsNews’ second weather roundup story published late Monday night
By QUINTON SMITH and GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District crews made significant progress Monday in restoring electricity to parts of Lincoln County which had been without power for three days.
As of 8:30 p.m. Monday, the number of Central Lincoln customers without electricity had gone from 9,000 at the start of the day to 1,900, said utility spokesman Mark Freeman. Power was coming back to much of the hard-hit Siletz area and north from Newport through Beverly Beach to Lincoln Beach.
“We’ve made some great progress tonight,” Freeman said.
On Tuesday the utility said it was sending its largest crews to work on problem areas around Toledo and Siletz.
But weather forecasts are warning that another ice storm could hit the Coast Range beginning Tuesday morning.
Because of that, the Lincoln County School District announced all schools would be closed Tuesday.
On Monday evening, Lincoln County published a list of resources and other storm information on its website.
The National Weather Service said one inch of snow and four-tenths of an inch of ice are expected in the 1,000 to 1,500-foot elevations of the Coast Range beginning mid-morning Tuesday – including some areas on the west slope of the mountains. The worst is expected in the Willamette Valley.
That could lead to more problems for Central Lincoln transmission lines leading from the valley to its customers on the coast.
Freeman said forecasts the utility was looking at showed rain Tuesday over much of its service area.
Service to more than 25,000 Lincoln County residents went out Saturday afternoon when frigid east winds turned rain into ice. Trees loaded with ice then snapped and took out power lines, covered local roads and closed highways connecting the coast to the Willamette Valley. Pacific Power customers in Lincoln City and rural customers of Consumers Power were also affected.
Repair crews struggled Saturday and Sunday to untangle thousands of ice-covered trees that fell into CLPUD’s main transmission lines in the Siletz and Toledo areas that serve those communities and communities to the west.
Central Lincoln restored service Sunday and early Monday to most of its customers stretching from Tenmile through Yachats and Waldport and in much of Newport. Monday afternoon it was able to restore service to parts of north Newport, including the Fred Meyer, Safeway and Walmart, and businesses and gas stations along Highway 101.
Freeman said the utility focuses on getting its main lines back in service first because that restores power to the most people. But crews still have to patrol affected areas for smaller outages.
“Transmission lines are first because we can get thousands back in service,” he said. “But any time the transmission line comes up we’re going to find lots of individual outages that then need attention. If there are one or two or three houses out in an area, then you’ll be later.”
On Monday night those still included parts of Newport, the Agate Beach area, Bayshore north of Waldport, and in Beverly Beach and Otter Rock.
Freeman said Central Lincoln has four crews made up of 3-4 linemen working the outages aided by three crews that came from utilities in Clatskanie and Moses Lake, Wash. under a mutual aid agreement. There are also three CLPUD single person crews working on smaller issues, he said.
Freeman has worked for Central Lincoln for seven years. Other administrators and linemen have been there 20 or more years, he said.
“People who have been here longer than me say it’s the worst they’ve ever seen,” he told YachatsNews. “For us, this is the worst.”
Other storm developments:
Newport emergency shelter: The city of Newport and Lincoln County opened an emergency shelter Sunday night at the city’s recreation center, which was used overnight by 13 people and staffed with the help of volunteers. There were 40 people using it Monday to take advantage of the internet and warm up ad the city announced it would remain open Tuesday.
Oceanview Assisted Living Center: The care facility on Northeast 71st Street in Newport with 75 residents had been without power since Saturday. On Sunday it asked for families that could to come get their relatives, had some go to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital, and then drove 41 residents to stay at a Lincoln City motel.
Samaritan hospitals: The hospitals in Newport and Lincoln City are full with patients but for the first time since Saturday were able to transport some patients needing a higher level of care Monday to the valley by LifeFlight helicopter and ground ambulance, a Samaritan spokeswoman said.
Schools: The Lincoln County School District announced Monday afternoon that all schools would close for students and staff on Tuesday and all activities cancelled. School was closed Monday in observation of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. “Grab and Go” meals will be available for students in Lincoln City, Newport, Toledo and Waldport from 12:30-1 p.m. Oregon Coast Community College announced its campuses would be closed Tuesday.
Highways: Oregon Highway 126 from Florence to Eugene was closed between Mapleton and Veneta on Monday because of hundreds of downed trees, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. There is no estimate when it might reopen. Highway 20 between Newport and Philomath and Highway 18 east of Lincoln City were open but often covered in snow or ice.
Gasoline station: Because of demand and the lack of tanker deliveries from the valley, many gas stations in Newport and Waldport were running out or running low on gas and fuel and there were long lines at stations that did have supplies.
Online resources:
Lincoln County emergency alerts and information
Go to Oregon TripCheck for the state’s latest road conditions
Central Lincoln PUD outage map
Central Lincoln PUD outage information
Pacific Power outages and information
Thanks for keeping us up to date and posting on Facebook. You guys have come along way since your beginnings. Great job.