HEA UPDATE – 3:30pm December 26, 2012 – Still no Power on Jakolof Bay Road
by Joe Gallagher
Homer Electric Association crews were able to repair a broken insulator on a power pole along Jakolof Bay Road in Seldovia today, but 352 HEA members in the area remain without power as of 3:30 Wednesday afternoon. At this time, it is likely that the outage will continue through the evening and into Thursday.
The outage began on Monday morning, December 24th, after a heavy snowfall in the area damaged the power line. HEA crews were unable to get to the area due to harsh weather conditions on Monday. On Tuesday, Christmas Day, the crew was able to get to Seldovia and begin patrolling the line to assess the damage and try and locate the problem areas.
After replacing the insulator on Jakolof Bay Road, the crew was unable to access the Big Tutka Bay area where there is a problem with the power line. The only way to gain entry into the area is via a pilot boat. The crew will return to the area on Thursday in a boat and attempt to make the required repairs. The goal is to make the repairs and then energize the line in sections from Big Tutka Bay into Seldovia.
Due to the heavy snowfall, HEA cannot risk energizing the line between the Gerry Willard Generation Plant in Seldovia and Big Tutka Bay until it is certain the power line is clear of all trees and other interference. An unexpected fault would result in damage to the generation plant and create a widespread outage in the area. The generation plant is currently providing power to Port Graham, Nanwalek and parts of Seldovia.
If you do not have power, please call HEA’s outage reporting hotline at 1-888-8OUTAGE (1-888-868-8243).
Please remember to always stay away from down power lines. The lines are extremely dangerous and getting too close to a line can cause serious injury or death.
For more information, please contact Joe Gallagher at 398-3478
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