Tips to prepare for potential power shutoffs in Oregon during extreme wildfire danger

Dejania Oliver, Salem Statesman Journal
·2 min read
The Cedar Creek Fire grew over 31,000 acres on Thursday.

Power shutoffs that would affect communities in the Mid-Willamette Valley and in other parts of Oregon could begin as early as midnight on Friday.

Forecasters are predicting high winds along with hot temperatures Friday and Saturday. Pacific Power announced it would shut off power for at least 12,500 customers in Oregon beginning at 12 a.m. Friday and continuing through Saturday evening. Impacted areas include parts of Linn, Douglas, Lincoln, Tillamook, Marion and Polk counties. Consumers Power Inc. told members as a last resort it may execute a Public Safety Power Shutoff in parts of its service territory, which covers the Santiam Canyon.

Here are tips for staying cool during the potential power shutoffs.

Outage preparedness

Creating a power outage kit could help for those in the affected areas, or in case an outage happens outside of a shutoff area. According to Pacific Power, some things to include are:

  • Flashlights or headlamps

  • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, fans

  • Extra batteries

  • First aid kit

  • Car chargers for cell phones and electronic devices

  • Bottled water for people and animals

  • Frozen cold packs or water frozen in bags or plastic bottles (keep ready in your freezer)

For those without air conditioning or older adults in affected areas, stay indoors if you can. Drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol.

For areas near wildfires, the Red Cross also recommends having an emergency kit. For details on what to include, go to redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html

The Red Cross also recommends having an information kit with documents like medical, banking and insurance records.

Currently, two cooling centers will open on Friday in Marion County, according to Marion County Emergency Management. The cooling centers are located at:

  • Silverton Senior Center - 115 Westfield Ave., Silverton

  • Bethel Baptist Church, 645 Cleveland St., Aumsville

Both are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. For updates on cooling centers, visit bit.ly/3RFQRuO

Community resource centers

Temporary community resource centers are being set up in affected communities, according to a news release by Pacific Power. The centers will open at 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday and will remain open both days until 10 p.m. or until service is restored.

The centers will provide air conditioning, water, snacks, Wi-Fi, small crates for pets and will be ADA accessible.

The centers are located at:

  • Marion County – Bethel Baptist Church – 645 Cleveland St., Aumsville

  • Linn County – Sankey Park – 877 14th Ave., Sweet Home

  • Douglas County – Glide High School – 18990 N. Umpqua Highway, Glide

For additional information, go to pacificpower.net/wildfiresafety. Portland General Electric customers can look at a map of possibly affected areas here: bit.ly/3Qqb86o. For a real-time map of outages for CPI customers, go to cpi.coop/safety/outage-information

Dejania Oliver is the breaking news reporter for the Statesman Journal. Contact her at DAOliver@salem.gannett.com or follow on Twitter @DejaniaO

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Tips for potential power shutoffs due to Oregon wildfires