Hundreds in North Shore without power after an overnight storm knocks out 33 poles; estimated restoration: 4 days
IID estimates some people may be without power for four days in the North Shore area after overnight storms knocked out 33 poles.
Friend of mine lives on this street. He sent me this video. pic.twitter.com/w9YAKiWRgr
— Iz Lo (@izlo42) August 31, 2021
As of 10:30 Tuesday morning, IID reported that 92 customers have been restored, 662 customers remain out.
Restoration Update - North Shore
— IID (@IIDatWork) August 31, 2021
292 customers have been restored, 662 customers remain out. Thank you for your patience as crews continue to work diligently and under extreme weather conditions until everyone is safely restored. pic.twitter.com/PyAT91fqGW
Damage assessment and restoration work is underway in the North Shore area. Yesterday’s storm has knocked out some 33 poles. At this time, 954 customers remain out of power. Based on the most up-to-date information, estimated restoration time is four days. pic.twitter.com/5ezSuOU4YR
— IID (@IIDatWork) August 31, 2021
IID spokesperson Robert Schettler says there are about 80 people and 12 construction crews working on the restoration.
"The damage is extensive due to the storm. And, you know, some of this stuff takes a lot of physical work that needs to be done to remove this damaged equipment, got to take the broken stuff out of there, got to clear the roads," said Schettler. "Hopefully, [power will be restored] much sooner- maybe within the next few days, but just so we don't over-promise."
Schettler said restoration can take multiple days because of the large amount of damage to the power poles along a major transmission line between Bombay Beach and North Shore.
Some of the North Shore residents were shocked by the storm and the damage it brought.
"We were really scared because we didn't know what was gonna happen. So we thought it was like a tornado or something like that," said North Shore resident Sylvia Ramirez.
She described the broken powers poles snapping like pencils. Livan Ruiz, another resident in the area, said he is still without power. He had to leave his home and stay with other family members because he didn't know when he'll get power back.
"It's probably the strongest one that's ever hit since I've lived here, and I've lived here for about seven years, 10 years," said Ruiz. "We still work. We still have to go to school, the kids, you know, and all that we couldn't go today because we were trapped in. And but yeah, for the most part, it's just frustrating because of the daily routine."
RESOURCES FOR RESIDENTS:
IID will be giving away ice and bottled water at its command center, which is located near the intersection of Club View and Vander Veer in North Shore, starting at 12:30 p.m.
The IID command center, which is located at Vander Veer Road and Pleasant View Drive in North Shore, will continue to have water and flashlights until 9 p.m. Ice will be available at 6 p.m.
The agency is also announced that the North Shore Yacht Club is now open as a cooling center and will be available from 8am-8pm until power is restored. Catholic Charities will be having a food distribution on Wednesday from 8am-10am at the Yacht Club until food runs out.
North Shore customers affected by the outage: The North Shore Yacht Club is now open and will be available from 8am-8pm until power is restored. Also, tomorrow, Sept. 1, Catholic Charities will be having a food distribution from 8am-10am at the Yacht Club until food runs out. pic.twitter.com/fcfw6E5bkF
— IID (@IIDatWork) August 31, 2021
News Channel 3's First Alert Weather Team has called for a First Alert Weather Alert Day to prepare you for the severe weather.
News Channel 3 has crews in Mecca and surrounding areas today and will provide updates on air on News Channel 3 and online on kesq.com.
THE LATEST
Thunderstorms have fired up again this morning, immediate South and West of the Coachella Valley, and moving slowly over the Santa Rosa mountains towards the Valley.
Thunderstorms last night provided not only Flash Flood Warnings, but also blowing sand and dust with winds near 50mph.
THE FORECAST
The First Alert team has issued a First Alert Weather Alert for Tuesday as thunderstorms with possible rainfall rates of 1-2" may lead to flash flooding.
A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains and deserts. For Riverside county mountains and low desert (Coachella Valley), the watch is in effect from 11:00 a.m. Tuesday through 10:00 p.m. Tuesday. For the High Desert, the watch is scheduled to remain in effect until 2:00 a.m. Wednesday.
Additional moisture will be available in Southern California on Tuesday which increases the chance for storms across the area. Isolated activity looks to move across the local mountains early in the morning with the bulk of storms taking place in the afternoon and evening hours.
The next few days will bring drier conditions, and keep us cooler than normal through the Labor Day weekend.
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