MAT-SU OUTAGES: • Yesterday evening the Matanuska Electric Association reported that the major outage in the willow area has been fixed. There are still scattered power outages affecting parts of the Mat-Su Valley. Crews are responding and more updates will be provided as they become available. The area continues to experience wind blowing upwards of 60 mph. SEWARD OUTAGES: • Thursday at 1:45 p.m. officials reported that power has now been restored to all of Seward. They ask that you call 907-224-3338 if you still do not have power or can verify if someone else still does not have power. The Electric Department needs to know of any outages that are still occurring. • Thursday at 11:30 a.m., the Electric Department said that power is still out in the Camelot/Salmon Creek area, but repairs are ongoing and no problems have so far been reported. They say the power should be restored there today. They added that The Breeze Inn has offered discounted rates of $39.00 + tax for those who need a warm place to stay, and to 907-224-5237 to reserve a room should you need one. • Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. officials from the City of Seward said: • Salmon Creek Road is open for traffic, but drivers will still need to watch out for low-hanging phone and cable wires. • Seward Dispatch has been notified that many people have been sitting inside their vehicles with their engines on in order to stay warm, and that Alaska State Troopers may wish to perform welfare checks on them. • Some Salmon Creek Trailer Park residents have left due to cold temperatures in their homes, and problems such as frozen pipes. Power should be restored to Salmon Creek/Camelot between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. tomorrow. • Additional crews are on their way to back up Seward local crews as they make their repairs. • Exit Glacier is still out of power; crews are working there to fix the problem. • Lowell Point’s status is as of yet unknown. Some power lines are underground in that area, which may allow for crews to find damage more easily. • If anyone is in need of a place to stay tonight, please contact the Seward Police Department at 907-224-3338 so city staff can evaluate the need to open a shelter. • On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. officials said that they are working to determine a specific time when power will be fully restored to affected areas, but say that it's likely that crews will be working into tonight and through Thursday to fix power outages. KENAI OUTAGES: • At 12:00 p.m. Thursday, Homer Electric Association (HEA) stated that 800 homes remain without power at noon on Thursday as HEA crews continue to respond to power outages created by a two day wind storm that hit the Kenai Peninsula this week. • At 6:30 a.m. Thursday, HEA reported that crews made significant progress overnight to restore power to homes left without electricity. They were able to restore power to both Nikiski High School and North Star Elementary School, and are re-opened for class today after yesterday’s closures. They also said that power was also restored to Cabin Lake, the North Miller Loop area of Nikiski, Mackey Lake, and Robinson Loop between Soldotna and Sterling. A crew was sent to Seldovia on Wednesday night to help homes along Jacalof Bay Road, and emergency generators are helping the Nanwalek-Port Graham-Seldovia areas. HEA estimated at 6:30 a.m. Thursday that 1,300 homes are still without power. Most of them are in Nikiski, with scattered outages in Sterling and the K-Beach area. Extra linemen have come in to help crews make these repairs, thanks to City Electric, Alaska Line Builders, and Norcon. They added that it’s still hard to tell when exactly power will be restored to specific parts of the peninsula, and that due to outages still in effect that work should be continuing throughout Thursday and possibly into Friday. • On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. HEA said that they brought in additional crews to repair the damage caused by high winds that are hitting the Kenai Peninsula and causing power outages. Eight additional linemen from Alaska Line Builders will be joining HEA crews to help restore power. They added that crewmen from Chugach Electric in Seward are also summoned to assist in the effort. As of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, HEA estimates that well over 5,000 homes and businesses around the central Kenai Peninsula do not have power. Strong winds continue to hit the system hard and new outages are being reported as the day goes on. The outages are scattered across the area, impacting parts of Nikiski, Kenai, Soldotna, Kasilof, Sterling, and Funny River. • At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, HEA crews restored power to downtown Kenai after they repaired a transmission line damaged by high winds. The outage began at approximately 3:10 a.m. Wednesday and has impacted about 3,000 homes from Beaver Creek through Kenai, and north to Redoubt Avenue. The Sterling area outage starts near the HEA substation by the Birch Ridge Golf Course and goes east through Sterling. Additional major outage repairs still in progress (as of 11-17-11, 12:00 p.m.): • The north end of Holt Lamplight Road in Nikiski • Taurianen Trail in Nikiski • Halibouty Road area in Nikiski • Northwood/Kiska area in Nikiski • Neighbors Drive in Nikiski • Island Lake area in Nikiski • K-Beach Road area • Cohoe Loop • Denise Lake/Longmere Lake/Sterling Highway near Soldotna Several other smaller-scale outages are being called in. Strong winds are continuing to hit the Kenai Peninsula this morning, and additional outages are likely to occur throughout the day. Homer Electric asks that if you are without power to call their outage reporting hotline at 1-888-8OUTAGE or 1-888-868-8243. They also advise you to protect sensitive electronic equipment, and to avoid downed power lines. These lines are very dangerous, and may cause serious injury or death if contact is made. If you spot a downed power line, immediately find a safe place away from the line and call HEA at 1-888-8OUTAGE or 1-888-868-8243. Also, if your home is affected by power outages and you need a safe place to go, the Kenai Peninsula Borough has locations to allow affected residents to warm up. More locations may open if needed; we’ll bring you updates as they come. The following locations are open for residents affected by outages: • Kenai Fire Station 105 South Willow St. Kenai • Nikiski Fire Station # 1 44800 Kenai Spur Highway (Mile 17.9) • Nikiski Fire Station #2 51849 Kenai Spur Highway (Mile 26.75) Note: the Kenai Armory shut operations down at 12:00 p.m. today for those needing to stay overnight in a safe place. Officials reported that one person used the facility last night.

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