Power outages were an issue during recent storms in the Flathead with downed trees and cars hitting power poles.
Now, the Flathead Electric Co-op is gearing up for a new storm that's expected to hit on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
FEC crews are already preparing to battle outages caused by humans and animals.
The main concern for power outages during a snowstorm is people hitting power poles and knocking out power but there has also been some trouble with squirrels getting into electrical equipment.
Power outages do not generally occur just because of cold temperatures, they are caused by outside factors, according to FEC.
Flathead Electric Cooperative crews are ready to battle outages with this storm 24/7 despite the anticipated poor conditions.
“I wouldn't say we're nervous. You know, we're used to this. It's 87 years in business for us this year in Northwest Montana, so we are used to the snow. But we're certainly urging all of our members, particularly those who are newer to the area to always be prepared for an unexpected power outage. It's really important to have a plan in place for water, for heat for your animals for people in your home that might have medical needs that depend on electricity." - Flathead Electric Cooperative spokeswoman Courtney Stone
The Flathead Electric Cooperative website outages section has a list of things you can do to prepare for power outages during this next storm.
The latest power outage information can be found at https://outage.flathead.coop:8181/.
FEC would also like to remind users to sign up for the outages alert text message system.
