July 6, 2023, 7:00 AM Update
As the official Red Flag Warning for our area resolved yesterday evening, Blachly-Lane crews were able to bring our system back to normal operating conditions. Blachly-Lane will continue to closely track conditions and we ask our members to do the same. If you see any hazardous conditions in our service territory, or you experience an outage, please report them immediately to 541-688-8711 or 800-446-8418, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Interested in being proactive before the next Red Flag? Be sure to check out these great resources:
- OSU Extension Service Fire Program resources
- Oregon Defensible Space for Homeowners & Renters
- The Blachly-Lane Outage Preparedness page
- Lane County Emergency Alerts
July 4, 2023, 11:00 AM Update:
No outages have been reported so far during the current Red Flag Warning. We will continue to closely monitor conditions throughout the duration of the warning. Members interested in additional system and outage information are invited to check out the recently launched Blachly-Lane Outage Map. Our outage map is an interactive information source for our members, allowing you to access current outage information quickly and easily.
Uncertain which substation is yours? In the Outage Map dropdown, under Members Summary, click the down arrow and select “Substations”. Member Summary options include views by substation, districts, and cities. Use the + and – symbols in the upper left corner of the map to zoom in/out. You can also click/drag any portion of the map to see different areas. Make sure “Show Outages” is checked and if no outages are listed in the Outage Map Members Summary, none have been reported, good news!
If you see any hazardous conditions in our service territory, or you experience an outage, please report them immediately to 541-688-8711 or 800-446-8418, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Many thanks to our membership for remaining vigilant and prepared.
July 4, 2023, 7:00 AM Post:
The National Weather Service issued Red Flag Warnings for parts of the Willamette Valley very early on July 4th. The warning is for wind, low relative humidity, and unstable conditions and will remain in effect until 11 pm Wednesday, July 5th. This warning covers a large portion of Blachly-Lane’s system, including all feeders out of the Highpass, Alderwood, Erb, and Walton Substations.
In the interest of public safety, Blachly-Lane equipment in those parts of our system is being set to a higher level of sensitivity, allowing for a quick shut off if needed. This means that there is a much higher chance of an outage today and it may happen without additional notice. Out of an abundance of caution, if the power does go out it will remain out until crews finish the process of patrolling lines and conditions improve before restoring power. This could result in a longer than usual outage.
Please plan accordingly. If you haven't already, now is a good time to sign up for emergency alerts through Lane County.
Please note, setting our equipment to a higher level of sensitivity is not the same as a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), where we intentionally turn off power. We are closely monitoring conditions throughout this event but have not issued a PSPS at this time (7:00 am, 7/4/2023). We will update our website if this situation changes.
More information regarding Blachly-Lane’s wildfire mitigation efforts and on preparing for an extended outage is on our Outages webpage.
Happy Independence Day and stay safe!