PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 10, 2022 — As of 5:00 a.m. today, PGE has turned off power in limited portions of five new areas, increasing the total number of preventive power outages to help reduce the risk of wildfire to seven since early Friday morning. We currently have a total of approximately 37,000 customer homes and businesses currently without power.
The five new preventive power outages occurred in limited portions of Southwest Scotts Mills, South Molalla, George, Colton and Sandy, affecting approximately 1,675 customers. These areas were at higher risk of fire given unique and extreme weather conditions including strong wind gusts of up to 40 MPH, which also necessitated a location change for one of PGE’s Community Resource Center locations. De-energization decisions are made in partnership with local government partners and fire agencies to help protect people and property by mitigating fire potential as strong dry winds, low relative humidity and an unstable atmosphere exacerbate fire conditions statewide.
Current forecasts predict extreme weather conditions to subside this afternoon. Unless conditions change and assuming no damage to PGE’s system, power restoration could begin as early as this evening. Damage to our equipment and/or system could delay efforts to restore power to customers. PGE will continue providing updates at least every 24 hours until power is fully restored.
To help reduce the impact on affected customers and communities, PGE Community Resource Centers will remain open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day, until power is fully restored to the areas. Information, bottled water, ice, access to charging for personal devices and Wi-Fi will be available. More information is available on portlandgeneral.com/psps; locations include:
Welches Elementary School, 24901 E Salmon River Rd, Welches
Firwood Elementary School, 42900 SE Trubel Rd, Sandy
Silverton Safeway, 301 Westfield St, Silverton
Banks Jim’s Thriftway, 12350 NW Main St, Banks
Sheridan High School, 433 S Bridge St., Sheridan
The State of Oregon and several counties are also providing resources. Call 2-1-1 or 1-866-698-6155 for a complete list of resources in impacted areas. As soon as weather conditions safely allow, PGE will begin inspecting all power lines and equipment to make any necessary repairs to lines and equipment so power can be safely turned on. PGE, contract and mutual assistance crews are preparing for restoration and responding to unplanned outages caused by high gusty winds. PGE will continue communicating with customers in the impacted areas and will share information with news media, social media and other channels. Customers can find the latest information on portlandgeneral.com/psps, by following PGE on social media -- @PortlandGeneral on Twitter and @PortlandGeneralElectric on Facebook or by calling customer service at 503-228-6322. Our advisors can provide assistance in more than 200 languages.