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Several central Utah counties warned of eventual extended power outage: ‘Start planning and preparing now'

Several central Utah counties warned of eventual extended power outage: ‘Start planning and preparing now'

Yahoo2 days ago
RICHFIELD, Utah () — As the Monroe Canyon Fire continues to devastate the area just south of Richfield in Sevier County, officials are warning that transmission lines for power have a high probability of shutting down.
Outages have already begun. Garkane Energy said that it de-energized the line that serves Wayne County, Burrville, Koosharem, Antimony, Fish Lake, and other surrounding areas.
Garkane Energy later announced that the fire had burned some of their transmission structures, and so power will remain off for Wayne County and surrounding areas until at least Thursday morning, when they will be able to properly assess the situation.
'Please prepare accordingly for the power to be off all night. We will update more in the morning. We understand the inconvenience of not having power, we thank you for your patience as we work with fire officials,' Garkane Energy said in .
In a social media post Wednesday morning, the Sevier County Emergency Manager Deputy William C Taufer said the Karkane Power transmission lines running through Bear Valley are likely to be powered down.
'This may not come today, but will eventually come in the foreseeable future. Start planning and preparing now,' said Taufer.
Containment drops for Monroe Fire as flames claim another 5,000 acres, now largest fire of the season
Who will this impact?
According to Taufer, a shutdown of the Garkane Power transmission lines will affect Sevier County, Garfield County, Piute County and Wayne County. Specifically, the town affected will be Burrville, Koosharem, Fishlake Basin, Greenwich, Angle, Antimony and all of Wayne County.
Once the lines have been powered down, Taufer said it is unclear how long the power outage will last. He added only that the outage will last an 'extended period.'
How to plan for an extended power outage
With a power outage likely, it is important to . Rocky Mountain Power said one of the first things to do would be to assemble or restock an emergency kit.
Items that should go into your emergency kit include:
Non-perishable food for both family and pets
Water, at least one gallon per person per day
Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
A flashlight with extra batteries
Blankets
A manual can-opener
A solar-powered cell phone charger
Cash
Copies of important documents
A First-Aid kit with essential medications
Any special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members
Ready.gov also recommends including things such as a dust mask, a whistle, and local maps. If you have room, Ready.gov also recommends adding soap and hand sanitizer, matches, personal hygiene products, and any activities such as books, games, puzzles or other activities.
Taufer encouraged residents to follow as well as for more information and updates.
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