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December 15, 4:30 p.m. - Lake Country Power line crews are continuing work to repair broken lines, chainsaw trees from lines and trudge their way through deep snow to restore power for co-op members. Progress has been slow and, in some areas, hard to make any headway. Many roads still have not been plowed and most of the repairs need to be done manually to restore service by hand.

“This is almost worse than a summer storm,” said Tami Zaun, public relations coordinator. “Trucks are getting stuck especially on roads that have not been plowed yet, or barely plowed. You can’t maneuver vehicles very well on slippery roads with deep snowbanks on either side,” added Zaun. “They could be cutting a tree off the line while hearing another tree snapping down the line. I saw it firsthand and it’s really bad out there.”   

Due to the severity of the winter storm’s impact on Lake Country Power’s distribution system, the cooperative has requested assistance from statewide co-ops and other utilities. However, assistance is unavailable at this time, so Lake Country Power line crews and Lake States Construction are doing the work alone, which will take some time.

As of 4:00 p.m. Thursday, more than 11,700 members are without power and crews have nearly 500 outage points to repair.

Lake Country Power is reminding members to seek alternative options to stay warm until power is fully restored, which could extend into the weekend for some areas. Although an estimate on restoration is not fully known at this time. 

After working 16 hours straight, line crews will be sent home by 9:00 p.m. Thursday for safety reasons. They will begin working Friday morning after a mandatory eight-hour rest. Standby and emergency crews will remain working through the night.

Members may call Lake Country Power at 800-421-9959 to report outages. For faster reporting, members are encouraged to use SmartHub. Please visit the outage map at http://outage.lcp.coop for an outage status.

Lake Country Power, www.lakecountrypower.coop, is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative serving parts of eight counties in northeastern Minnesota. The rural electric cooperative provides services to more than 43,000 members and has offices located in Cohasset, Kettle River and Mountain Iron.

Winter Outage Tips:

  • Stay inside – dress in warm, layered clothing, and cover up with extra blankets.
  • Close off unneeded rooms.
  • When using an alternative heat source, follow operating instructions, use fire safeguards and be sure to properly ventilate (keep a multipurpose, dry-chemical fire extinguisher nearby and know how to use it).
  • Stuff towels or rags underneath doors to keep in the heat.
  • Cover windows at night.
  • Maintain a regular diet. Food provides the body with energy for creating its own energy.
  • Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
  • Infants or persons over 65 are more susceptible to the cold, check on elderly or disabled friends or neighbors.  You may want to find an alternative location with friends or relatives if you cannot keep your home warm.
  • Be cautious when using alternative heating, lighting and cooking sources that may increase the risk of a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.