4 p.m. June 24 update: Since early Monday morning, June 23, Lake Country Power crews have restored service for more than 5,500 co-op members. As of 4:00 p.m., June 24, there are 96 members without service.
At the height of the thunderstorm, 5,600 co-op members lost power from high winds, trees and potential lighting contact with electrical equipment. Crews have been working 16-hour days with a couple rested crews working the overnight shift. This schedule will continue until all Lake Country Power members have service restored.
The areas near Big Sandy Lake and McGregor were hardest hit from the storm. It’s anticipated that most members may see power restored by tonight, however crews are experiencing a few setbacks in their fieldwork so a handful of outages may linger into Wednesday, June 25.
Currently, there are 19 outage points to repair. Crews have encountered 15 broken poles, trees on lines, and broken lines after Monday’s storm.
Lake Country Power appreciates everyone’s patience and support as line crews continue the goal to restore service for all members impacted by the storm.
Members may visit the Outage Map online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://outage.lcp.coopto watch the outage status. To report an outage, call 1-800-421-9959 or use the SmartHub app.
10 a.m. Tuesday (June 24): Lake Country Power line crews are making progress in the quest to restore electric service after an early Monday morning thunderstorm knocked power out for 5,600 co-op members. As of 9:30 a.m., June 24, there are more than 320 members without service.
Crews working near McGregor in the Big Sandy Lake area have identified 15 broken poles, which is four more than yesterday’s report. Cohasset construction crews are focused on replacing broken poles while the other line crews tackle other repairs.
Currently, there are 41 outage points to repair. After a severe storm, the remaining work is often tedious toward the end of full restoration. It can become even more difficult to access lines and electrical equipment in the most rural parts of the co-op’s service from thick brush and downed trees that need chainsaw removal. Pole replacement work takes time as well.
The two crews that worked through the night were able to restore some of the outages overnight. The line crews who were sent home for rest and safety reasons at 11 p.m. Monday night after working 16-hours are working in full force again today.
Members may call the cooperative at 1-800-421-9959 to report an outage, or visit the Outage Center online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://outage.lcp.coop for an outage status.
4:15 p.m. Monday (June 23): Lake Country Power line crews have restored electric service for more than 2,900 cooperative members since the early morning hours of Monday, June 23, when a new stretch of thunderstorms knocked power out for 5,600 co-op members.
Currently, crews are working to restore 58 outage points affecting more than 2,600 members.
Big Sandy Lake near McGregor is the hardest hit area from the early Monday morning storm and where most of the outages exist. Lake Country Power is estimating that power restoration for the Big Sandy Lake area will go into Tuesday. Most other locations may have power restored by tonight unless unforeseen setbacks happen.
At least 11 broken poles have been identified and are being replaced. The outages were caused by heavy winds toppling trees on lines early Monday morning. Lightning strikes may have been a contributing factor as well.
Line crews are working 16-hour days. They will continue working until 11:00 p.m. tonight and then be called in to rest for eight hours as a safety precaution. Lake Country Power will then dispatch two rested crews to work through the night. After an eight-hour rest period, crews will continue working to restore any remaining outages on Tuesday, June 24.
Members may call the cooperative at 1-800-421-9959 to report an outage, or visit the Outage Center online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://outage.lcp.coop for an outage status.
10 a.m. Monday (June 23): A second wave of severe thunderstorms in less than 48 hours is affecting electric service for 5,600 Lake Country Power members, as of 4:30 a.m., Monday, June 23. This storm follows Saturday’s tornado warnings and storm that impacted more than 7,000 co-op members. Most of the weekend’s outages were restored by late Sunday night.
Line crews were immediately dispatched early Monday morning, but it’s too early to know the full extent of the damages as crews work their way through each impacted area.
Currently, Lake Country Power line crews are working to restore service at 82 outage points affecting 4,000 members, as of 10:00 a.m., primarily impacting the southeastern locations of Lake Country Power’s service area, such as Big Sandy Lake, Cloquet and south of Virginia.
The outages were caused by heavy winds toppling trees on lines early Monday morning. Lightning strikes may be a contributing factor as well. At least seven broken poles have been identified, and there could be more as crews work their way through the debris.
All available crews are working to restore power, including Lake Country Power’s internal construction crews. Lake States Construction is assisting with pole replacements. Crews are also removing significant tree damage off the Peary Substation and Lakeland Substation.
“As a reminder to members and the public, if you see a downed power line, stay away from it and call Lake Country Power to report it immediately,” said Derek Howe, P.E. chief operating officer.
Members may call the cooperative at 1-800-421-9959 to report an outage, or visit the Outage Center online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://outage.lcp.coop for an outage status.