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Although Saturday’s strong winds died down on Sunday, the Portland region remains hamstrung by unusually cold temperatures and power outages.
As of 12:30 Sunday afternoon, Portland General Electric reported more than 3,000 outages affecting 115,000 customers. Pacific Power, the state’s second-largest electricity supplier, reported 217 outages, affecting about 14,000 customers.
In a statement Sunday, PGE said it had deployed 1,100 workers to restore power across the region. They had a lot to tackle. “Tree limbs and debris brought down over 816 PGE distribution power lines,” PGE wrote, “and damaged multiple transmission lines across our service area.”
Meanwhile, TriMet reported that all MAX trains are halted because of weather. Buses are rolling with chains, which slows the system and will mean delays on many routes. In some parts of the city, routes are detoured or closed. Check here before you try to travel.
“TriMet will not turn away anyone traveling to or from a warming shelter who is unable to pay fare until further notice,” agency spokewoman Tia York said Sunday, reiterating earlier guidance. “We ask those folks to let the bus operator know that they are heading to or from a warming shelter.”
LIFT, which provides rides for passengers unable to ride buses, is currently limited to providing medically necessary trips.
Late on Sunday afternoon, Multnomah County announced a second suspected hypothermia death during the storm. The person who died was found Saturday in inner Northeast Portland, county officials said.
Another person died in a recreational vehicle fire on Saturday after a tree fell on the RV and an open-flame stove set the vehicle on fire. Two women in their 70s died in a fire at a Northeast Portland church early Sunday morning; it was not immediately if the fire was a result of the storm.
The county said Sunday it will open three additional shelters for Sunday night, bringing the total of temporary shelters to a dozen, which have 940 beds. More than 800 people sought shelter Sunday night, including 50 whom the county had to move from a downtown church when it flooded. The county is seeking volunteers to help staff the shelters.
Here are the shelter locations:
The National Weather Service this morning forecast conditions to remain cold and dry through Tuesday morning.
“Then, another round of precipitation arrives, with areas of freezing rain across the interior lowlands,” the forecast says, adding that the region should warm up on Wednesday. In the meantime, the Oregon Department of Transportation encouraged drivers to stay home if possible, as ODOT crews work to clear downed trees and icy patches from area highways. Downed power lines and network cables are complicating ODOT’s work. The agency’s Trip Check tool shows which routes are the most impacted.