YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash.- Pacific Power’s de-energization system during wildfires have caused at least seven power outages in Yakima County this summer. Those multiple hours without power have caught the attention of the Board of Yakima County Commissioners.
In July, the commissioners signed off on a letter to Pacific Power’s president, Ryan Flynn.
“Our primary concern revolves around the frequency and duration of these power outages,” reads the letter signed off on by Amanda McKinney, Kyle Curtis and LaDon Linde. “The ‘de-energizing’ events have disrupted daily life for residents, negatively affected local businesses, and posed serious challenges for essential services, including healthcare facilities and emergency responders.”
The letter, which “CC’ed” state leaders including Governor Jay Inslee, proposed three recommendations for the utility company. Enhanced communication to give advanced notice of a shut-off, Critical Infrastructure Support to provide contingency plans for vulnerable equipment and people, and Community Engagement, suggesting a task force to sign off on de-energizations.
The letter emphasized that advance notice is not always an option for de-energization.
“For example,” writes Flynn, “when a tree or other debris contacts a power line that has enhanced safety settings deployed, that line will automatically de-energize within fractions of a second.” He adds crews have to visually inspect the line before power can get turned on.
Pacific Power recommends signing up for alerts if you rely on power for medical needs. The alerts allow the company to reach out if the outage could go on longer than expected.
Community engagement has already begun according to District 1 Commissioner McKinney.
Flynn and other Pacific Power representatives showed up in person to the July 30 commissioner’s meeting for more of a presentation.
“The desire, I believe, is truly genuine and that they’re wanting to protect the community,” says McKinney.
While in the area, McKinney says the company met with local businesses and other representatives to hear other concerns over the de-energizations.
“I feel that our voice has been heard, acknowledged, and they have already made great steps towards improving their process,” say McKinney. “I want to see continued steps towards making every improvement possible to their process that makes it as nimble as possible.”
