The PUD’s outage map is available around the clock, 24/7, for its customers. It shows outages down to a quarter mile area. The information is in near-real-time. However, there may be instances where the posting of an outage to the map may be delayed while the utility gathers and verifies information. During major storms, with multiple widespread outages, it may take more time to assess the extent of outages throughout the PUD service area.
Estimated time of restoration (ETRs) was added to the map in January 2019. During major storms, ETRs may not be available due to the large number of crews out making repairs throughout the service territory. Our first priority during major storms is repair work.
A major power restoration challenge is that trees that have fallen on power lines or brush can limit access to restoration sites and may need to be cleared before repair work can begin. This can often be an all-day job. Often, PUD crews may not be able to estimate how long a job may take until they arrive at the site to begin clearing it for the work.
Some customers have asked why the PUD can’t contact a line crew by radio to check on when a specific street or address might have power restored. During a major storm, tens of thousands of customers might be without power. Based on the huge volume of customers affected in a major storm, it would be unrealistic to expect the PUD to be able to radio crews to handle each customer inquiry about restoration work in the field. The radio’s primary function is for the safety of the workers and any additional “traffic” on the radio would jeopardize this safety. It would also divert the PUD crew in the field from its primary focus – restoring power to customers – and dramatically slow the work of field crews.