4:00 UPDATE—
An estimated 13,500 Cloverland Electric Cooperative members are without power as a result of freezing rain, sleet and ice accumulation primarily across the eastern end of the co-op’s five-county service area.
Nearly 10,000 of these outages are in Chippewa County. Outages began overnight Sunday and quickly escalated into the thousands Monday morning. Since outages are widespread in nearly 400 locations, the co-op expects members without power by 6 p.m. tonight to remain without power overnight and possibly continue to New Year’s Day in some locations.
The co-op asks members without power this evening to make alternate arrangements as necessary to ensure their safety during what is expected to be a multi-day extended outage. Members who depend on electricity for medical equipment should activate their emergency back-up plan for alternate sources of power or alternate lodging. Members with unmet, non-emergency needs should call 2-1-1.
Downed lines, trees on lines and broken poles are the primary cause of outages. Crews have already restored over 10,000 outages overnight and through Monday afternoon. Mutual aid crews are assisting Cloverland crews with restoration efforts and they will work into the night until mandatory eight-hour safety rest is required
If using a portable generator during an outage, members are reminded to never operate a generator in an enclosed area or fuel it while it is running. For the safety of our line crews, never connect generators directly to your home’s wiring. A special transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician is required to prevent the reverse flow of electricity onto the power lines.
Cloverland Electric reminds the public to stay safe and stay clear of downed power lines and report them by calling 1-800-562-4953 or local law enforcement agencies. Those with access to www.cloverland.com and Cloverland Electric’s Facebook page can stay current on restoration efforts and the latest updates available. However, the co-op reminds its members not use Facebook or other social media platforms to report outages, post service addresses or other account information.
