UPDATE: Thousands of Avista customers remain without power in the Quad Cities region as of Thursday evening, as crews race against time to restore service after a devastating windstorm. Avista reports that approximately 86% of customers have had their power restored since the storm hit on Wednesday, but over 2,000 customers in the Palouse area and more than 500 customers in Nez Perce and Asotin counties are still affected.
The powerful storm, which resulted in strong winds and saturated ground, caused significant damage to power lines, leading to outages for an estimated 80,000 customers across the Inland Northwest. Avista states that all available employees are actively working to restore power, but some residents in northern Idaho might be without electricity until Sunday.
“Once critical customers and transmission lines are restored, crews work to repair distribution feeder lines that serve larger groups of customers,” Avista explained in a news release. This means that while some neighborhoods may see power restored, others will remain in the dark until crews can address individual outages.
The impact of the storm has been felt beyond just power outages. Local 911 dispatcher Whitcom reported receiving 869 emergency calls on Wednesday, including 69 regarding electrical hazards, 53 for traffic issues, 23 for utility problems, and 15 for property damage. The Moscow Fire Department responded to 51 calls for service despite facing a significant outage to its radio dispatch system.
Residents seeking warmth, water, or internet access can find refuge at the Neill Public Library and the Pullman Recreation Center, which are open to assist those affected by the outages.
As restoration efforts continue, Avista urges patience from its customers, emphasizing the complexity of the work required to replace damaged infrastructure. Each damaged power pole can take up to eight hours to replace, highlighting the scale of the recovery operations underway.
For those impacted, staying informed about restoration timelines and available resources is critical. Authorities are actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available.
This urgent situation underscores the importance of community support and resilience in the face of natural disasters, as local agencies and utility workers strive to restore normalcy.
Stay tuned for further developments as Avista and local officials work tirelessly to restore power to all affected customers.
