Electric companies making progress on power restoration

Avista Utilities said today it expects to have 95 percent of customers’ power restored by 10 p.m. About 48,000 customers lost power in Saturday’s windstorm, most of them in North Spokane, north Spokane County and North Idaho. Other utilities also said today they are making progress in restoring power. Inland Power & Light said it has all available crews working on outages and expects to have service fully restored by late tonight or early tomorrow. About 5,600 customers still are without power, the company’s website reports. At Northern Lights, Inc., in North Idaho, about 1,800 customers were still without power this morning. Avista said customers who are still without power should check for damage to their electrical system. “Look for damage that may have occurred to your home’s electric overhead mast or your meter,” the company advised. Damage to those items are the responsibility of the homeowner, and repairs must be performed by a licensed electrician. Avista recommends getting two bids for those repairs.