MARION COUNTY, Ore. — In an effort to prevent wildfires, Pacific Power shut off power to a handful of areas across the state due to strong easterly winds, low humidity and hot weather.
As of Friday evening, these "public safety power shutoffs" impacted more than 10,000 utility customers around Otis, the Santiam Canyon and east of Sweet Home.
"It's kind of like a balancing act," said Drew Hanson, public information officer for Pacific Power, "Between wanting to provide reliable service that our customers know us well for — and then also public safety."
The utility began initiating shutoffs before noon on Friday. At around 12:30 p.m., the power was off at The Gingerbread House, a well-known restaurant on Highway 22 in Mehama.
"To prepare, we took all our ice cream and put it in the walk-in freezer," explained Mary Parker.
She said they had plenty of notice that a shutoff would happen — a positive, and proactive step — compared with September 2020 in the Santiam Canyon.
"Before, two years ago, nobody was prepared for nothing," Parker said, "We drove through fire to get out of our home. You still get emotional after a couple of years... I never want to go through that again."
"I think Pacific Power has stepped up and tried to make things better this time. I know for here, it's making it better for us because you can be a little more proactive," Parker added.
Pacific Power has three temporary Community Resource Centers, which will open at 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday; and will remain open both days until 10 p.m. (unless service is restored earlier) at the following locations:
- Douglas County – Glide High School – 18990 N. Umpqua Highway, Glide, OR 97443
- Marion County – Bethel Baptist Church – 645 Cleveland Street, Aumsville, OR 97325
- Linn County – Sankey Park – 877 14th Ave, Sweet Home, OR 97386