December 14, 1:30 p.m. - Lake Country Power line crews are responding to a growing number of outages for more than 1,900 co-op members – and counting – following the anticipated wide-spread winter storm. The snowstorm dumped heavy wet snow across the region, causing trees to sag and snap onto power lines. Some lines are down and at least one broken pole has been reported so far.

Most outages are being caused by lines slapping together from the wet snow. When the weight of the snow releases off the lines it can cause the lines to “gallop” or slap together, which blows the fuse causing another outage to occur. If power has been restored and later goes out again, line galloping could be the reason.  

Those currently affected are primarily in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the cooperative’s service area – Carlton County, Itasca County, Aitkin County, Cass County and Pine County taking the brunt. The greatest concentration of outages is in Carlton County.  

A winter storm warning calls for more heavy, wet snow across LCP’s service area through Thursday evening, which may cause additional outages.

Line crews are facing slick roads where travel is not recommended. Some rural roadways have not been plowed yet, making travel with large bucket trucks nearly impossible. Lake Country Power’s crews will work to restore power as safely and quickly as conditions allow. The co-op reminds everyone to stay clear of downed lines and thanks members for their support.  

The fastest way to report an outage is through SmartHub. Otherwise 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.