KEC to use helicopters to assist in power restoration

HAYDEN — Kootenai Electric Cooperative will use helicopters today in its efforts to restore power to members in North Idaho.

KEC will use two helicopters to help clear snow off power lines, company officials said. This process, called “buzzing the lines,” involves the helicopter flying a safe distance above the lines and creating a downward wind to blow snow off them.

“We feel this process is necessary as a result of the continuous snowfall in the region, combined with little or no wind,” said Greg Hansen, KEC’s operations manager.

“Miles of our overhead lines have several inches of snow built up, and one way or another, crews need to clear the snow off the lines in order to restore power and prevent further outages from occurring,” Hansen added.

Specific locations were still being determined as of Friday afternoon, but in general, KEC members who have experienced an outage due to the recent snow storm should expect to see the helicopters “buzzing” their lines.

Crews restored power to more than 2,700 members across KEC service territory on Thursday, Christmas Eve, but more than 100 separate outages remained heading into Friday. An update on remaining power outages was unavailable Friday night.

For more information or to report an outage, contact KEC at 765-1200 or visit www.kec.com.