Outages linger for third day for 2,000 homes
Flathead Electric Co-op crews work to restore power following a windstorm Wednesday. (Sharilyn Fairweather/Flathead Electric)
Another 5,000 Flathead Electric Co-op members had power restored Friday morning as crews continue cleanup efforts following an extreme windstorm Wednesday.
About 2,000 homes were still without electricity Friday afternoon.
Ongoing outages were expected to be restored by Friday night in the Badrock Canyon, Lakeside, Rollins, Swan Lake, Bigfork, West Kalispell, Ashely Lake, Haywire Gulch and Lost Prairie areas.
Crews were still working in the Essex and Libby areas, but those outages could potentially linger until Saturday, the Co-op stated in its latest outage update.
Widespread accumulation of trees and debris was making access to electrical equipment hazardous and challenging, slowing efforts to make repairs.
More than 16,000 homes were without power at the peak of the outage on Wednesday as winds in excess of 100 mph blasted Western Montana.
Flathead Electric Co-op Assistant General Manager Jason Williams noted that the Co-op has recruited assistance from outside the service area.
“Rest assured we’ve got crews trying to address every area of our service territory, but it’s going to take time,” Williams said in a pre-recorded update.
“We’ve got several big outages we’ve dealt with, but we also have a lot of little outages that tend to take the most amount of time. Between broken poles and wires on the ground, there’s a lot of restoration that goes into it. Please be patient. We know it’s tough.”
People are reminded to not touch or go near a downed power line.
“Stay safe and we’ll get your power back on as quickly as we can,” Williams said.