PGE: Power Outage Still Affects More Than 41,000 Customers

PORTLAND, OR – Friday's wind storm caused havoc throughout the morning and part of the afternoon, but by 8 a.m. Saturday Portland General Electric crews had restored power to many residents in the Portland metro area.

At its peak, the powerful Willamette Valley windstorm affected 168,00 PGE customers April 7, PGE officials said. Falling trees and branches reportedly caused a majority of the outages.

PGE continues to work with crews from other regions to restore power as quickly as possible, though officials indicated some residents might not see their power restored Friday as wind conditions and downed power lines continue to create unsafe conditions for work crews.

As of 8 a.m. April 8, the number of outages reported had dropped to just more than 2,900, and the number of customers affected in the Portland metro area had lowered to just more than 28,000 people.

For more information on outages in your area, visit PortlandGeneral.com/Outage.

Across all PGE customers more than 41,000 residents are still without power, but PGE crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as is possible, PGE spokesman Stan Sittser told Patch Friday.

Schools and districts across the region, including Tigard-Tualatin School District, Hillsboro School District and multiple Portland public schools, reported outages during the worst part of the storm Friday. By the afternoon, many of the schools were back online.

“We appreciate customer patience because when outages of this magnitude occur it takes time to get everybody back up and running,” Sittser said. “People should be aware of their surroundings and call PGE when they see downed lines. And let us know if you’re out of power.”

The National Weather Service – Portland Office has issued a wind advisory until 5 p.m. Friday, with winds reportedly gusting up to 44 mph. Weather service officials said the winds first started picking up around 6:45 a.m.

In the tri-county area:

• Clackamas County: 8,889 customers affected;
• Multnomah County: 3,108 customers affected; and
• Washington County: 16,021 customers affected.

Government agencies throughout the region have responded in various ways:

Call PGE to report outages at 503-464-7777. Customers can also sign up for text alerts from PGE for notification when power has been restored.

This post has been updated to reflect changing numbers of customers affected by the power outages. This post will be updated throughout the day.

Photo Courtesy: Rick Paulson, Rick Paulson Photography (High winds damaged a telephone pole and power lines at Northeast Third Avenue and Northeast Jefferson Street in Hillsboro April 7.)