UPDATE: Thousands of residents across the Quad Cities region remain without power following severe wind and rain that battered the area Thursday night. Crews from Avista Utilities and Clearwater Power Company are working tirelessly to restore electricity to affected neighborhoods, but the situation remains critical as of Friday, October 13, 2023.
Currently, over 5,300 customers from Clearwater Power are still experiencing outages, with linemen and engineers deployed to areas north of Moscow and east toward Troy. Meanwhile, Latah County has reported that more than 1,000 Avista customers are still in the dark, according to the latest outage maps provided by the utility companies.
Both school districts in the area, the Troy School District and Whitepine School District, have been forced to close again today due to the ongoing power issues. Avista spokesperson David Vowels confirmed that while 86% of customers had their power restored by Thursday, those still without service will receive email updates regarding the status of their outages.
The damage from this storm has been significant, with winds reaching up to 80 mph causing trees to topple and power lines to snap throughout the region. The Latah County Commissioners declared a local disaster emergency on Wednesday, demonstrating the severity of the situation.
Residents are urged to visit the outage maps on the official websites of Avista and Clearwater Power for the latest restoration estimates, which currently range from today through Sunday. The restoration efforts are expected to continue as crews navigate the challenging conditions left in the storm’s wake.
As the community grapples with these ongoing power outages, the emotional toll on families and businesses cannot be understated. Many are left without heat and light as they await updates from utility providers.
Stay tuned for further updates as crews work urgently to restore power and provide support to those affected. This situation is developing, and we will continue to monitor and report on the latest developments as they unfold.
