Families in Kenai and Kasilof may have noticed that their plug-in digital alarm clocks did not go off as-expected on Monday morning. With Alaska losing daylight at a rapid rate, those alarms are an invaluable replacement to being awoken by the sunshine.
The reason the alarms may not have gone off is that there was a power outage impacting around 2,400 households in Kenai and Kasilof, along K-Beach Road, according to Homer Electric Association.
Melissa Carlin of HEA spoke to KSRM to explain what happened: “As we all know, it’s been a blustery weekend! It’s continuing into today. This morning around 7:00 a.m., we got reports from about south K-Beach Road to Bonita Avenue – that is the south end of K-Beach Road – that power was out for about 2,400 members. The cause was a large tree on the line.” She noted that HEA was quick to react: “Crews were on it, they got that off, and power was restored by 9:10 a.m. this morning.”
Do the winds often cause such a widespread power outage on the Kenai? Carlin: “Yes. As we see the weather start to change, we get the wind storms and snow storms. Right now, it’s probably a combination of the wind and the wet snow on the lines, and broken poles, broken trees on the lines. Yes, I would advise the community to just be aware of this and be prepared and keep their sensitive electronic equipment on the surge protectors and whatnot. Stay safe and hunker down!” She said HEA is aiming to reduce the invasiveness of these outages: “Homer Electric is prepared to go up there and deal with these outages. Just be sure to call-in your outage each time from the number where you are out.”
This outage may have been a valuable test of whether your family is prepared for a power outage in the literal dark of Alaska’s winter. Did you pass? According to the American Red Cross, there are items to keep around the house to be prepared, just in case that outage lasts longer than today’s two-hour affair.
It is recommended to keep one or more coolers for refrigerating food, roughly one gallon of water per-person per-day, non-perishable food, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, first aid kit, necessary medications, person hygiene items, and chargers along with external batteries for device such as cell phones. Remember: keeping those cell phones and tablets active is imperative if you or the kiddos plan to pass the time catching-them-all in Pokémon Go!