Crews are ready to respond to outages and downed power lines


Aug. 21, 2015: With high winds again in the forecast for the region this weekend, there is a potential for trees and branches coming into contact with power lines which could result in power outages. To make sure customers are prepared and safe, Avista offers the following suggestions:

· Make sure flashlights, smoke alarms and CO2 detectors have fresh batteries. Even alarms wired into a home's electrical system should have a fresh back-up battery.

· Have fully-charged cell phones and tablets.

· Know how to manually open and close any electric garage doors, security doors or gates.

  • Protect sensitive electric equipment, such as computers, VCRs and televisions, by installing surge protectors or other power protection devices.
  • Fill containers with water and add to a refrigerator or freezer that is not full. This will help food stay cold longer.

Outages could also occur as wildfires continue to burn in Washington and Idaho. Avista crews continue to work with fire officials who may request that power lines be de-energized in certain areas for the safety of the first responders fighting a fire and/or to prevent additional fires if a pole were to fall due to fire. This precaution could result in outages to customers whose property is not imminently threatened by fire.

Keeping customers and the public safe around electricity is always a top priority. That's why a down power line should always be considered energized, so stay as far away as possible and keep others, including pets, away.

To report a downed power line or a power outage, call Avista at (800) 227-9187. Avista's automated phone system can provide additional information if you are part of a larger known outage. Outages can also be reported and tracked online and on a mobile device atwww.avistautilities.com .

About Avista Utilities
Avista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 369,000 customers and natural gas to 329,000 customers in a service territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million.Avista Corp . (NYSE: AVA). For more information, please visit


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