Clark Public Utilities wrapped up repairs and restored power to its customers early Wednesday morning, following a dayslong effort to address issues caused by the prolonged winter weather event.
Power was fully restored for county residents around 4 a.m. Crews were continuing with cleanup efforts throughout the county for a couple more hours thereafter, utility spokesman Dameon Pesanti said.
“We were able to gain a huge amount of ground last night and into the morning. We got people reconnected quickly,” Pesanti said.
Following weekend snow and ice storms, the utility’s largest issue was access to areas where roads are littered with fallen trees.
No major pieces of infrastructure, such as transmission lines, substations and feeders, went offline. There were a few dozen wires down, but crews visited and revisited areas until they were deemed safe to enter.
The last areas to see repairs were Northeast Healy Road in Chelatchie and W.H. Garner Road in Yacolt.
“The way things warmed up and melted snow off trees, it worked to our benefit,” Pesanti said.
The utility heavily invests in its network, as well as vegetation management, which allowed for a proficient response to the severe weather, according to Pesanti. Many of the power lines in the county are “tree wire,” sturdily manufactured to withstand the elements, he said. Also, crews were prepping for the worst as early as Thursday.
Now, some staff have been sent across the Columbia River to help Portland General Electric get its service restored. Tens of thousands of people in the Portland metro area were still without power Wednesday.
