Sheriff Ben’s emergency message

The Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management is working with all cities and communities across the county assessing the damage caused by last night’s severe storm. There are reports of downed trees and power lines across the county. Many roadways throughout the county remained blocked. Citizens are encouraged to limit their travel both for safety and to allow emergency crews to begin clean-up efforts. Power companies are working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. Avista is reporting 11,500 customers without power. Kootenai Electric is reporting 10,500 customers without power. We are asking the public to:

• Stay away from downed power lines. Assume all downed power lines are live and dangerous. As lines are repaired, even power lines you “think” are dead may be live.
• Limit your travel. There are still many downed trees and blocked streets. If you must travel, remember to treat intersections as 4-way stops if the traffic lights are not working.
• Check on your neighbors and look out for one another.
• Call 9-1-1- for life-threatening emergencies only.
• Begin to prepare for extended power outages. Connect with friends and family to see who has power and where you could go to stay warm and safe.

To report downed power lines or to inquire about power outages, please contact your power company:

Avista: 1.800.227.9187
Kootenai Electric: 1.877.744.1055

For non emergency concerns call:

208.446.2292 citizen inquiry line from 8 am to 5 pm
208.446.1300 after 5 pm (Sheriff Office’s non-emergency line)