Hays Post
Midwest Energy crews have converged on the area in an effort to restore power to the region after Wednesday’s early-morning wind storm.
Utility spokesman Mike Morley said he expects the total number of down poles to be around 100, with the hardest-hit area appearing to be in the Toulon Road area between Catharine and Old U.S. 40. Morley said entire sections of lines were blown down in that area — a dozen or more pole at a time.
Crews are working to get “feeder” lines, which carry power for large sections of the grid, back up and running first. Once those “main arteries” are repaired, smaller outages will be addressed.
“There are lots of scattered outages,” he said, noting those could range from a small transformer that feeds a handul of houses to an individual power line running from the alley to a single home. “Those will be, unfortunately, the last ones we hit.”
Because crews are cutting power while isolating sections for repairs, Morley said customers across the area might see periodic outages throughout the day. Click HERE for the Midwest outage viewer.
With poles and lines down throughout the region, Morley stressed safety above all else.
He pointed to an incident where lines came down on a person’s car.
“Fortunately, the driver knew to stay in the car, called the sheriff, and we got crews out there,” he said, “and got her out of there safe.”
He cautioned to stay away from downed lines.
“Don’t try to drive around or over wires and definitely don’t try to pick them up or move them yourself,” Morley said. “That could be terrible.”
The utility issued the following statement this morning”
“Midwest Energy’s electric system was hit hard by storms the morning of July 13. At 8 am, there are more than 4,400 customers now without power in Ellis and Russell Counties. Due to the number of poles down, the cities of Victoria, Gorham and portions of eastern Ellis County and Russell County could be without power into the evening, or longer. Residents are encouraged to prepare now for a prolonged outage.
“If you encounter; please DO NOT try to move a downed line yourself! Call it in at 1-800-222-3121 and we’ll respond as quickly as possible. Dozens of Midwest Energy crews, and contract crews from across Kansas are in route to assist with restoration efforts. We thank you for your patience as we work to safely restore power.”
