To report an outage, please call (541) 688-8711 or (800) 446-8418. Outage reporting services are available at this number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Be Prepared for Extended Outages Due to Storms and Wildfire Shutoffs
If your lights go off during a storm, be prepared for the power outage. Assemble supplies to have on hand rather than rushing around when the storm is coming and waiting in long lines for milk or bread. Rotate your supplies to keep them fresh and use the following checklist to prepare for power outages.
Be Ready to Receive Co-op Notifications and Alerts
In extreme outage situations, members will receive text, email, and/or telephone notifications and alerts. To receive these notifications and alerts, make sure that the co-op has your updated contact information for all of these methods you wish to receive. Updates can be done on the SmartHub app, or by calling us during office hours.
Blachly-Lane Wildfire Mitigation Plan
Wildfire mitigation planning has been of increasing concern to Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative and other electric utility providers in the past decade. Blachly-Lane achieved a milestone in May of 2022 when its board of directors approved an updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
Be Two Weeks Ready
Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management recommends that all citizens be “two weeks ready,” or prepared to meet their own needs individually and as a community for as long as two weeks. This is what they say:
“For many years, we’ve been talking about the importance of being prepared for 72 hours. This is a good start, and helpful in the event of short-term power outages or temporary evacuation. But a large earthquake and tsunami will leave much of the area’s transportation routes destroyed. Oregonians will have to count on each other in the community, in the workplace and at home in order to be safe until responders can reach you.Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management encourages people to be prepared to be on their own for a minimum of two weeks. This lessens the strain on emergency responders who need to focus limited resources on injured and other vulnerable populations immediately following a disaster.”
For more information on being Two-Weeks Ready, go to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
Medical Needs
Blachly-Lane employees do everything we can to keep your power on, but there are times when you will be out of power for an extended period due to circumstances outside our control. If you require oxygen, a CPAP or other breathing device, refrigerated medication, or any type of medical device that requires electricity to keep you healthy, please make sure that you have generator or battery backup.
Power flows from the substation out to the end of the line, just like a garden hose. There is no way to prioritize one member over another. Think of it like this: If the source of water to the hose is stopped (BPA power outages), or if the garden hose is cut into multiple pieces (systemwide outages) it does no good to replace the nozzle at the end if the rest of the hose is still in fragments. To fix it, you start at the faucet (substation) and work your way to the end, repairing leaks as you go. For power, crews start at the substation and work their way out from there. We simply cannot come to your house and fix your power ahead of this process.
If you need power to maintain your health, please have a backup plan.
Have Plenty of Food and Water
- Keep a least a two week supply of drinking water in plastic bottles. Plan on at least 1 gallon of water per person, per day. Plan for the needs of your pets and livestock, too.
- Store a manual can opener with enough nonperishable foods to last two weeks. Canned meats, tuna fish, peanut butter, and dry foods are good foods to store. Don’t forget pet foods!
- Conserve water by using paper plates and plastic utensils.
- Have a camp stove or grill and supplies for outdoor cooking. Be careful of sparks!
Stay in Touch
- Have a portable, battery-powered radio and alarm clock.
- Have one non-portable phone that will work even if power is interrupted.
- Plan where to meet and how to communicate with family members if separated. Keep essential family member contact information near your phone, in your wallet, and in your glove compartment.
Keep Things Going
- Keep plenty of gas in your car.
- Keep extra batteries, matches, propane, charcoal, and firewood.
Stay Happy, Healthy, & Warm
- Coordinate with neighbors for care of the elderly and disabled living alone.
- Maintain a supply of prescriptions, nonprescription drugs, vitamins, and special dietary foods.
- Playing cards, books, drawing and writing supplies, and board games help pass the time. If you have a video camera and tapes, your family can make a storm documentary.
- Keep sanitary and personal hygiene supplies replenished. Pre-moistened cleansing towelettes are useful and help conserve water.
- Use plastic trash bags and ties for garbage.
- Put first-aid kits in your home and car.
- Make sure you have cold weather clothing, foul weather gear, blankets, and sleeping bags.
- Consider purchasing alternative UL-approved heating devices. For example, a fireplace insert or woodstove will keep the heat in your home instead of up the chimney.
- Use flashlights and other battery-operated lighting instead of candles.
- Keep fire extinguishers fully charged.
- Fill your bathtub with water for bathroom use before the storm (if you have a well).