Strong Winter Storm Set to Arrive Wednesday Morning

Between Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon, one to two feet of snow is expected to fall in the Diamond and Crater Lake areas and there are gusts of wind of up to 25 miles per hour in Douglas County. The National Weather Service urges people to avoid driving through mountain passes and to update their household outage kit and emergency car kit. “Wintery blasts can be unpredictable and lead to power outages,” said Allen Berreth, Pacific Power's vice president of operations. “We are always prepared to respond with crews at the ready to repair damage as fast as possible and reduce the amount of time any customer is without service.” An Emergency Outage Kit includes but is not limited to the following: - Flashlight - Battery-operated radio and clock - Extra batteries - Non-perishable foods - Manual can opener - Bottled water - Blankets If a power outage occurs, Pacific Power encourages customers to first check their fuses and circuit breakers. If the power failure was not caused inside the home or business, customers should report the outage to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088, by texting OUT to 722797 or reporting it on the Pacific Power App for mobile devices. Once a storm has hit, stay away from all downed power lines and utility lines. Even if the lines are not sparking, they could be energized and extremely dangerous. Call 911 immediately, then report it to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088. Extensive rain may cause flooding or landslides. Be especially careful of any standing water or even soggy ground. A live down wire may seem to be a safe distance away, but it is still extremely dangerous due to wet conditions. Don’t drive over downed power lines. For more information, go to https://www.weather.gov/wrh/TextProduct?product=afdmfr