Avista is ready to fix any outages, downed lines caused by Monday’s strong winds

SPOKANE, Wash. — With strong winds expected all week long, Avista says they are standing by to fix any power outages or downed power lines.

The power company says they are closely monitoring National Weather Service forecasts and trimming vegetation in the areas they service. Strong winds all week have the potential to knock down tree branches, which can bring power lines down with them and knock out power to the area, as well as threaten people on the ground with exposed lines.

Currently, Avista has crews ready with fully-stocked and fueled vehicles, warehouse supplies, assessment teams, wire guard teams and tree crews.

Avista says they are anticipating these winds to continue into Monday evening, but any restoration times likely will not be available until after a storm has passed.

Lastly, if your power gets knocked out, Avista suggests you take these steps:

• Turn off all appliances that were on before the power went out
• Unplug electronics, including computers
• Leave a light or radio on to let you know when the power is back on
• Let Avista know which homes are without power by turning the front porch light on

If you use a generator, make sure it is located outside and is not wired into the home’s electrical system, unless there is a disconnect switch to separate generator power from Avista power—the power company warns that backfeed into the power lines can injure or kill employees working to get the power back on.

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