Lake Country Power line crews are trying hard to make progress as they continue working to repair damages and restore electric service for more than 7,900 cooperative members.

The number of outages has fluctuated on May 31 from the steady winds and trees that continue to fall onto lines and break poles. It’s almost a losing battle with the wind. There were 156 different outage location points earlier this morning, which has grown to 258 total outages needing restoration by 3:00 p.m. this afternoon.

Lake Country Power is hoping for restoration by 11:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, however the growing number of broken poles is making this prediction uncertain.

The cooperative is working in full force with 51 lineworkers, two tree crews, and 12 – 15 additional personnel contracted from Lake States Construction. They’ve been working steady since the first storms hit on Memorial Day.

For safety reasons, line crews will be sent home at 7:00 p.m. tonight for much needed rest after working 24 hours straight. Standby/on-call crews will pick up the workload and continue through the night until the rested crews begin again at 7:00 a.m., June 1, for a 16-hour shift. Lake Country Power is keeping personnel working 24-hours around the clock.

In response to this storm, most of the work is being done by foot or small machines. The ground is too soft for bucket trucks – some are getting stuck and must be winched out.

Falling trees have taken down power lines and at least 14 broken poles are reported so far – a number that is growing.

“Road access is poor from the mess of trees and soft ground,” said Wade Gould, area supervisor. “Lines are down and the system is busted up pretty bad. In many areas, crews are cutting their way through the mess before they can actually make the repairs.” 

Lake Country Power reminds everyone to stay away from downed power lines.

Members may call the cooperative at 1-800-421-9959 to report an outage, or visit the Outage Center online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://outage.lcp.coop for an outage status.

Tips for extended outages:

• Make sure one of the phones in your home is not a cordless phone as these require electricity to charge, but also have a mobile phone for backup and charge it in your vehicle, if necessary.

• Use a battery powered flashlight, not candles.

• Keep a battery operated radio handy to listen for outage information and updates

• Turn off electrical equipment you were using before the power went out

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food should keep for up to 48 hours in a freezer, if the door remains closed. If the outage persists, cover your refrigerator or freezer with a blanket, make arrangements to store food at another location, or purchase dry ice.

• Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

• Essential supplies: flashlight, batteries, radio, extra supply of water, food.

• Turn off and unplug your computer if you were using it. Buy a surge protector to protect the machine when power comes back on.

• Keep extra water on hand in jugs or the bathroom tub for flushing the toilet as needed.