Power outage hits with low of -42

In the early morning hours of January 13, the National Weather Service showed Three Forks with a low temperature of -42 degrees. Things would soon get even worse for residents with a power outage.

According to NorthWestern Energy Public Relations Specialist Jo Dee Black, crews responded just after 5 a.m. to an outage affecting customers in the Three Forks and Willow Creek areas.

“The priority of the crews is to restore service as quickly as possible, safely. Customer’s service was restored just after 7:30 a.m.,” said Black. “NorthWestern Energy’s Crews are ready and equipped to respond to issues as needed quickly across the state in these extreme conditions.”

In a release sent out earlier in the week by NorthWestern Energy, the company stated as they prepare their systems year-round to meet peak energy demands in extreme conditions, systems outages can occur, and they asked customers to be prepared with planning and preparing when severe weather hits or if there is an outage.

Tips listed by NorthWestern Energy include:

• Ensuring all mobile devices are fully charged.

• Charging portable charging devices.

• Make sure to have an emergency power source.

• Preparing an emergency outage kit.

• Having a portable radio.

Residents are also asked to ensure their natural gas meter’s regulation vent is clear of snow and ice so the gas flow into the home can be regulated properly.

NorthWestern Energy’s outage page is available online at http://www.northwesternenergy.com/outages/outage-map.