4/16 11:00 a.m. General Manager Rick Nelson said the last two days of sunshine have helped crews travel the area to restore power. Nelson said CPPD is hoping to get everyone’s power up and running by this evening. Most of the Bartak substation is back on, but there is still significant damage near Gates/Anselmo. West of Merna Nelson estimates that about 100 poles are down equating to a five to six mile stretch of transmission damage.
Dawson Public Power crews and a contract crew have been helping yesterday and today and the number of people still without power is around 200, according to Nelson. Other areas still experiencing problems include west of Merna, Anselmo/Gates, Sargent, Taylor, south of Litchfield, and south of Mason City.
Most damage was caused between 4-6 p.m. on Friday due to the wind and ice.
There are no planned outages at this time.
4/15 9:00 a.m. A planned outage is scheduled to begin around 9 a.m. for areas near the west table, Lilian, Merna, Anselmo, and Gates, according to Rick Nelson. The planned outage will last approximately two hours for repairs. Nelson also said as of Sunday morning approximately 200 people are still without power but crews are working.
4/14 8:30 p.m. “Things are looking up,” said Rick Nelson on Saturday evening. Crews were out all day getting power restored to as many people as possible. Nelson said circuits around Merna and Ansley are back on and that crews will likely be getting to Anselmo and Gates on Sunday.
Nelson said there has been lots of damage around Gates due to the blizzard conditions. The combination of wind and freezing rain likely caused the most damage between 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday. Poles and wires are still down in many areas. Nelson said hopefully winds will be dying down for improved visibility and travel to other areas. Crews will be heading out on Sunday morning and Nelson will provide further updates to KCNI/KBBN on power restoration as they become available.
4/14 8:45 a.m. Rick Nelson of Custer Public Power reported about one third of the CPPD system is down as of Saturday morning. “A lot of people are without power,” he told KCNI/KBBN. Outages range from Stapleton to Sargent and south and include areas such as Callaway, Litchfield, Hazard, Sargent, Ansley, Merna, Anselmo, and Arnold.
Nelson said crews are doing their best to get everywhere to restore power. He said crews are working on the Bartak substation west of Merna and the Ortello station south of Anselmo. Getting these going will help determine the number of individuals without power, Nelson said.
4/13 9:07 p.m. CUSTER COUNTY–As of 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Rick Nelson with Custer Public Power District (CPPD) reported that “quite a few poles are down” throughout the area. However, he says it is still early and anything can happen. Nelson reported that crews were headed in for the night due to poor visibility as the storm continues underway.
Custer Public Power has crews out in several areas in our service territory. If you are without electricity please call 1-888-749-2453. If you do not get through please try again.This could be a long night so prepare accordingly. Make sure to keep cell phones charged, have flashlights, batteries and water rounded up, and please have your meter#, customer#, or account# available if you need to call. Please stay safe.
Assume all downed power lines are live and dangerous. Some roads are closed but KCNI/KBBN does not have specifics at this time. Nelson said crews will be working with Highway Superintendent Chris Jacobsen and the roads department to get to areas that need immediate attention.
Power outages range from Stapleton to Taylor, with outages reported in those areas as well as Callaway, Ansley, Merna, and also some issues in Anselmo and Thedford.
Some equipment has become inoperable due to freezing conditions so modifications are being made as needed.
KCNI/KBBN will give more updates as information from CPPD becomes available.
