Crews are actively engaged in restoring power along U.S. 20 after downed trees forced the closure of the highway east of Sweet Home. Many residents are feeling the impact of severe weather as strong winds swept through the Pacific Northwest overnight, leading to extensive damage to power lines and leaving tens of thousands of customers without electricity.
Portland General Electric (PGE) spokesperson John Farmer stated during a news conference that the utility is aiming to restore power to “the vast majority” of affected customers by Thursday night. However, he could not specify how many of the over 50,000 customers currently in the dark would need to wait until then for their service to be restored. PGE is prioritizing repairs based on the number of customers impacted, with crews committed to working around the clock.
The eastern regions of PGE’s service area, particularly Estacada and Brightwood, were hit hardest by the storm, with thousands still experiencing outages. Online outage maps suggest that power may be restored to these areas before 11:45 p.m. on Thursday.
In addition, a wind advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service in Portland for Thursday, forecasting gusts of up to 45 mph along with further rain. Farmer noted that PGE has meteorologists monitoring the situation closely and that the utility’s crews will continue their restoration efforts as long as conditions are safe.
As communities come together to navigate these challenges, there is hope that power will be restored promptly, allowing residents to return to normalcy amid the unpredictable weather.