Because of tomorrow’s (Sat) forecast for hot, dry, and windy conditions, Avista Utilities is preparing to preemptively shut off power to much of Clarkston and some of Lewiston, along with several other regional communities.
Avista customers could also see power cut in parts of Orofino and Ahsahka, along with areas around Pierce, Weippe and Greer. Some residents in an around Kamiah and portions of Kooskia and Stites as well as the Elk City, Dixie and backcountry areas nearby could also be impacted.
At this time, no power shutoff has been implemented. However, customers should prepare for the possibility of an outage if weather conditions worsen as expected.
If power is shut off at your location to reduce the risk of wildfire, Avista will not turn it back on until the risk has passed and conditions are safe to do so. Before power can be restored, crews must inspect affected power lines and equipment to ensure it is safe to re-energize them.
Avista will provide daily updates until the high fire risk has passed or power has been restored. Weather forecasts can change quickly, and decisions about a potential PSPS will become clearer with more accurate forecasts tomorrow (Sat).
According to the utility, a Public Safety Power Shutoff is a targeted, temporary outage in areas facing severe wildfire risk. A shutoff is a last-resort measure, used only when weather conditions like high winds and low humidity create a heightened wildfire threat.
A link to a map of the potential outages can be found here.
