UPDATE: Thousands of residents in the Quad Cities region remain without power as restoration efforts continue following severe winds and heavy rain last night. As of October 27, 2023, crews from Avista Utilities and Clearwater Power Company are actively working to restore services to affected areas.
In Latah County, more than 1,000 Avista customers are still in the dark, with the company reporting that 86% of its customers had their power restored by Thursday evening. Avista spokesperson David Vowels confirmed that crews are making progress and will provide updates via email to those still experiencing outages.
Meanwhile, Clearwater Power announced that 5,300 customers are still without power, with linemen and engineers focusing efforts north of Moscow and east toward Troy. They are also addressing outages in the Orofino and Craigmont areas.
Both utilities are advising customers to check their online outage maps for restoration estimates, which range from today through Sunday. The storms have caused significant damage, with winds reaching up to 80 mph knocking down trees and power lines across the region.
The impact has been severe, prompting the Latah County Commissioners to declare a local disaster emergency on Wednesday. Schools in the area, including the Troy School District and Whitepine School District, have been closed again today due to ongoing outages, affecting local families and students.
Residents are urged to remain patient as restoration efforts continue. Officials stress the importance of safety during this emergency, reminding everyone to stay away from downed power lines and report outages to their respective utility companies.
As the situation develops, updates will continue to be provided by both Avista and Clearwater. Stay tuned for the latest information on power restoration efforts across the region.
