Ice Storms 2024: Restoration, Public Safety UPDATES

[Wednesday, January 24, 8:30pm] Power Forecast: We expect power to be restored to MOST customers by this weekend. As always, power at individual homes and businesses (individual services) that have damage or other issues will likely take longer. For more on our updated restoration forecast, click here.

[Tuesday, January 23, 8:30am] We got a lot of customers back on yesterday and look forward to more progress to report this evening. Again, if you don’t see your street on this list, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. We will not stop until EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER has their power back. Your extraordinary patience as we work our way through this unprecedented damage is appreciated!

We know that being without power, or not seeing your neighborhood on the work plan yet, is frustrating. Please know that we are working as swiftly as safely possible, and PLEASE KNOW THAT NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND. Every single home and business WILL HAVE their power restored. Thank you again for your incredible patience as we navigate this together.

[Wednesday, January 24, 8:30am] Crews have headed out to today’s work areas, and they continue to make great progress restoring power across the city.
**If you are in one of these areas, crews request that you leave a porch light or other visible outdoor light on. This helps them as they assess the repair work.
– S. 79th Street area
– South of Thurston Rd between 67th Place and 68th Place
– 54th and E Street area
– East of 16th to 21st from E Street working south
– South of Hayden Bridge along 5th Street to the highway area
– 42nd and Olympic area
– South of Quinalt to Centennial and between 5th street and 14th street are
– South side of Jasper Road and west of Clearwater Lane area
– S. 4th and Quarry Road for customers in Willamette Heights area

We know its frustrating if your area is not listed, but WE WILL NOT STOP until every customer has power. We thank you all for your extraordinary patience.

[Tuesday, January 23, 8:30am]
SUB and mutual aid crews have rolled out for the morning work! You’ll see crews in the following areas today, working to get power restored:
– Centennial south to Main Street between 8th and 14th
– Continuing work n the West Centennial area
– Pioneer Parkway to 19th north of Hwy 126
– Crew will be starting on pole replacements at S. 4th and Quarry Road and working to restore customers on Willamette Heights
– S. 79th has two crews working to rebuild down poles and wire, estimating 2 more days
– Crew working through Thurston on the north side of Main Street from Hwy 126 to 72nd street

Work continues today at:
– Agnes Steward Middle School and S. 28th street
– Jasper Road and S. 47th area
– 42nd and Olympic
– Briggs Middle School (Corral Drive/Ranch Drive)
– West Centennial area

[Monday, January 22, 9:00pm]
Another big day with significant power restoration across Springfield, getting customers – and traffic lights – back on. SUB has also secured additional resources so we can keep pushing forward, with another 4-person crew coming tomorrow to replace one that will leave this week, and a second 4-person crew coming on Thursday.

Here is today’s progress:
Power Restorations
– N. 32nd and 33rd between B Street and the railroad
– North side of Hayden Bridge between Villa and Harvest Lane
– Thurston Hills from S. 67th to S. 73rd
– Anderson Lane to Aspen, Centennial to the south side of Menlo Loop
– 16th to 20th between E and I Street
– G Street and 14th
– 63rd and Main Street east of Thurston High School
– BPA right-of-way to 60th Street and Main Street to Thurston Road
– 54th and E from Hwy 126 to Main Street
– Restored all traffic signals on the City of Springfield’s list of outages
– Agnes Stewart Middle School and S. 28th street – Expected to be restored tomorrow

Still in process
– Corral Drive/Ranch Drive (Briggs Middle School) – In process
– S. 79th rebuild – In process
– 42nd and Olympic – In process
– S. 47 and Jasper Road area – In process, expect to restore north side tomorrow

After our early morning planning meeting tomorrow, we will post our daily work plan so you will know where we will be headed. Because of the extensive damage to our system, we share daily work plans, rather than a longer forecast, so we can provide the most accurate information possible.

[Monday, January 22, 8:00am]
SUB reports great progress by all their crews yesterday, who were able to report some late-night restorations:
– Pioneer Parkway to 10^th Street between E and F
– South of Centennial along Water Street
– 58^th and High Banks mobile home area

This morning, crews are already rolling to more areas with the following work plan, ready to get more customers up and running. SUB will report back on their progress this evening:
– Agnes Stewart
– Corral Drive/Ranch Drive (Briggs Middle School)
– East of McKenzie Willamette Hospital area
– Hayden Bridge (east of Villa to Harvest Lane)
– Prescott and Centennial area
– N. 32^nd
– 42^nd and Olympic
– N. 58^th Street area in Thurston (working on taps east of the BPA right-of-way)
– S. 70^th street (underground) – we’ve repaired the overhead feed that fed the underground system, and are now making repairs to pick up several neighborhoods in the Thurston Hills
– S. 79^th rebuild

[Friday, January 19, 12:15pm]
Free water for SUB customers with broken water pipes at their homes
Freezing conditions left some SUB customers with broken or burst home water pipes. SUB has placed two drinking water trailers in Springfield where customers can either fill their own containers or receive free PERSONAL-SIZED bottled water for drinking (not storage containers) for FREE.
Sunday, January 21 from 8 am to 4:30 pm
Locations:
Springfield High School – Silke Field Parking Lot
Thurston High School – South Parking lot
NOTE: free water bottles are PERSONAL SIZED for drinking, not larger storage bottles

[Friday, January 19, 12:30pm]
ALL Boil Water Notices LIFTED for Springfield. Customers may resume normal water use with no further action required

The Boil Water Advisories issued in response to ice-storm damage at Springfield Utility Board water systems have been lifted.

The boil water advisory in SUB’s West system was lifted earlier in the day, and the advisory for the East system was lifted just past 5 pm, after the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) returned test results showing the water was healthy to drink.

All customers in the affected areas may return to using tap water for all uses, including drinking, without boiling.

[Friday, January 19, 12:15pm]
A BOIL WATER advisory is currently in effect for a portion of SUB customers
UPDATE: the west system boil water notice HAS BEEN LIFTED

The recent ice storm has caused damage to SUB’s electric system, which has also affected parts of our water distribution system.

We have issued a boil water advisory notice to customers in our EAST distribution system (click map below). The WEST system has been lifted. If you do not have power to boil water, please use bottled water until the boil water notice has been lifted. We’re asking neighbors to help each other, especially when others don’t have bottled water. Please see the enclosed map to see the boundaries of east and west system.

Boil-water-advisory01_17_2024V2
Map SUB water system boundary
BOIL WATER ADVISORY NOTICE (click here – What to do if you are under a boil water notice)

[UPDATE Wednesday, January 17, 11:30am] We had a difficult night with the many gains made by our crews undone by new ice accumulation from yesterday’s freezing rain, followed by warm temperatures that melted ice, causing significant additional damage as broken tree limbs and large ice sheets fell into lines.

We estimate we have 12,000 customers out of power at the moment. Last night’s storm also pulled down power poles, and we currently have more than 40 that will need to be repaired and reset. System damage in those areas will take about a week to repair, at which point we can begin restoration of individual services. A map showing the areas will be posted soon.

Those without power should plan to remain without power for the at least the next week.

With the warming weather, streets are becoming more passable. We encourage people who can to look in on vulnerable neighbors, and to seek alternative accommodations if possible.

We know this is frustrating news, and we are working to get power back to people as soon as possible. Four outside crews are here or coming to assist in the effort.

Our area is working through the worst storm most of us have ever encountered, but we are facing the challenges with determination and hard work, and progress will happen as weather continues to stabilize.

Thank you for the incredible patience and grace you have shown, especially to our crews, as we navigate this truly unprecedented storm.

FOR YOUR SAFETY:

Continue to avoid Bob Straub parkway as crews clear downed poles.

Please stay back from crews as they work, for your safety and theirs.

AVOID approaching downed lines! They are dangerous and it’s impossible to tell if they are energized. Stay back!

[Tuesday, January 16, 10:25pm] IMPORTANT: AVOID the area of Main Street from 58th to Bob Straub Parkway. Power poles have fallen in this section of road. Crews are removing wire from the roadway tonight but the poles will remain until the morning when additional crews and heavy equipment can begin to remove them.

IT IS IMPERATIVE that you avoid wires on the ground. They may be energized even if they appear dead, and touching an energized powerline will result in very serious injuries or death.

The freezing rain today has caused powerlines and poles to fall all around the City, and crews have had to keep members of the public from endangering themselves and crews by approaching crews and lines.

PLEASE STAY BACK AND STAY SAFE!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS INFORMATION ON THE SUB WEBSITE

[Tuesday, January 16, 3:00pm] Thanks to ongoing work from crews working in dangerous, frigid conditions, we have whittled the number of customers without power down from 15,000 yesterday to about 6,000 customers.

The forecast freezing rain has started, however, and we anticipate new outages from the additional ice forming on trees.

Warmer temperatures are coming as well, which while welcome, will thaw ice on trees and release broken limbs currently frozen in place.

We understand this is a frustrating process and appreciate your patience as we endeavor to restore power and heat to your homes.

Please note that daily updates are pinned to our Facebook homepage, so check there or our website at subutil.com for the most current status. Also find an outage FAQ on the website.

[Tuesday, January 16, 10:00am] Repair work completed during the day stayed stable overnight, which is good news. Crews also worked to isolate sections of overhead lines that can be restored to power once repairs have been made. Many downed lines and damaged poles remain.

Overhead line sections must be visually inspected and verified, which is a time-consuming process but important for both for safety and to ensure the repair work holds.

SUB continues to urge customers to be prepared for an extended outage. They anticipate working on major repairs to main lines through the weekend before focusing on repairs to tap lines serving portions of neighborhoods.

If you have power, please use this time to make additional preparations as additional outages are possible depending on the course of today’s incoming weather.

SUB also encourages customers to look in on their neighbors and friends as they work their way through the power restoration process.

They hope to have more updates later today.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS INFORMATION ON THE SUB WEBSITE

[Monday, January 15, 10:30pm UPDATE] Springfield Utility Board can report good progress this afternoon and evening. Power was restored today to all of Glenwood, another part of the Gateway area, including the Mall, a portion of the Jasper Road neighborhood, and 66th and 69th St. in the Thurston area.

Crews will continue working overnight. Many lines are down and they are working to secure them.

SUB will report again around 9:00am tomorrow.

[Monday, January 15, 3:00pm UPDATE] SUB has made progress today bringing power to customers in several areas. They have service restored to the Mountaingate area and power restored to various neighborhoods in the Gateway, Mohawk, Centennial, and D Street areas.

Although progress is being made, CONDITIONS HAVE NOT STABILIZED, and icing and gusty winds are forecasted for tomorrow.

SUB strongly encourages customers to STILL PLAN TO BE WITHOUT POWER FOR SEVERAL DAYS, even as they bring power on.

Crews continue to work today, and they will post around 10:00 PM to provide more updates.

[Monday, January 15, 8:00am] SUB crews worked overnight to restore power to Mckenzie Willamette Hospital, which had been operating via generator. While they restored power to about 1,500 customers yesterday, additional overnight outages keep the total number of customers affected at about 11,000, a third of their system.

This morning crews will resume restoring power following this prescribed plan.

The goal is to bring power and relief to as many customers as possible as quickly as possible, but it is important to note that the weight of ice on trees and infrastructure means new damage is still occurring, even as repairs are being made.

As weather improves and the active damage period ends, SUB anticipates restoration efforts will gain momentum.

Barring any significant developments, SUB will report again at 3 pm. You can also see these and past updates on their website – website updates can be translated into other languages for non-English speaking customers.