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Tens of thousands of people in the Willamette Valley and the central Oregon coast remained without power Sunday afternoon after a devastating ice storm hit the region Saturday.
Some utilities are warning their customers to be prepared to go without electricity until at least Friday.
In Lane County, at least 21,000 customers were without power Sunday afternoon. Outages were spread throughout many of the county's utilities, including Emerald PUD, Lane Electric Cooperative, EWEB, Pacific Power, Springfield Utility Board and Blachly-Lane Coop.
"Before system repairs can take place, trees must be cleared from travel lanes and downed wires," said a Sunday morning update from Lane Electric. "There is a concern that more trees may fall, worsening the situation."
Meanwhile, crews from EWEB will prioritize efforts to "make safe any situation that poses a threat to customers, such as ensuring downed powerlines are not sparking and are cleared from contact," according to the utility.
On the Oregon coast, Central Lincoln PUD said Sunday afternoon that approximately 9,500 customers remain without power, and that crews were getting assistance from Clatskanie PUD in helping to restore service.
"The damage to our northern transmission loop is significant," the utility said in a social media post. Due to closed roads in the area, "we are bringing in a helicopter to assist with the assessment."
Central Lincoln said customers affected will likely be without power for at least one more night, including those along a lengthy stretch of Hwy 101 from northern Newport all the way to Gleneden Beach.
Not just power outages
A snow/ice emergency remained in effect in Eugene on Sunday, meaning parking is restricted on city snow routes. The ongoing conditions led to the cancellation of two performances of "Chicago" at the Hult Center Sunday, and the UO women's basketball team played a Pac-12 matchup against Arizona at the Matthew Knight Arena Sunday afternoon with no fans in attendance. OSU's women's basketball team also played a spectator-free game on Sunday in Corvallis.
Lane Transit District said service is not expected to resume until at least Tuesday, as many main arteries in the Eugene Springfield area remain covered in snow and ice, and some streets are closed due to downed trees or power lines.
And the continued cold temperatures have led to the indefinite postponement of two MLK Day marches planned in Eugene and Springfield on Monday.
"The safety of our community members is our top priority," the Eugene Springfield NAACP said in a statement released on social media. "We are looking to gather in February during Black History Month in the hope of better weather conditions."
