Avista : Customers’ Power is Restored Following Third Storm in Three Weeks

Approximately 10,000 customers lost power as storm swept from south to north

Aug. 13, 2014: Avista crews worked throughout the night to assess and repair damage for roughly 10,000 customers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho who lost power as the result of the severe dust and thunderstorms that passed through the area beginning about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.

· Damage was primarily confined to power lines in neighborhoods downed by wind and pole fires, likely the result of electricity arcing due to dust from the storm mixing with rain.

· Damage during Tuesday's storm was more widespread than in the previous two storms, stretching from Ritzville on the west to St. Maries and Kellogg on the east. While some areas of northern Spokane County were affected for the third time, areas of Spokane Valley and the South Hill were also damaged.

· Avista crews completed their regular workday on Tuesday and were then deployed to power restoration work as the storm hit in the late afternoon and early evening hours.Storm-related repairs were essentially completed by 8 a.m. today.

We greatly appreciate our customers' patience through yet another storm, and encourage them to prepare their own storm survival kits, including battery-operated radios, chargers for phones and tablets, bottled water and flashlights.

Outage information on the Web

Safety First

Stay away from downed power lines. Never touch or attempt to remove fallen limbs from downed or sagging power lines. Treat all power lines as if they are energized or are carrying electrical current. Remember to call Avista immediately at (800) 227-9187 to report the location of the downed power line.

During a power outage

Avista suggests customers take the following steps:

• Turn off all the appliances you think were on before your power went out.
• Unplug your electronic equipment, including computers.
• Leave a light or radio on to let you know when you have service again.
• Don't wire an emergency generator into your home electrical system unless you have a disconnect switch to separate your generated power from Avista's distribution system. Backfeed into power lines could injure or kill a lineman working to get electricity restored.
• Use your generator only to run specific appliances, and locate it outside so poisonous carbon monoxide fumes don't enter your home.
• If you see a downed power line, stay away. Treat all power lines as if they are carrying electrical current, and never touch or move one.
• To help Avista crews working in a neighborhood know which homes have power, turn on your front porch light.

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