Power still out in many areas, issues could persist
Published 5:44 am Friday, April 12, 2019
- Power poles lay on their sides, snapped off due to the high winds and ice that came with this week’s storm. The poles stretched for several miles along Highway 56 between Interstate 90 and Rose Creek. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Several areas in Mower and Freeborn counties are still without power and some areas could be without until this weekend.
This week’s storm blew down power lines across the two-county area Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services covers, leaving many communities powerless. Freeborn County was particularly hard hit and in the midst of this, three shelters throughout the county in Clarks Grove, Alden and in Albert Lea.
County Road 3 at Highway 56 is blocked off due to power lines lying across it Thursday night. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Several communities in Mower are also dealing with extensive outages including Lyle Township and the community of Lyle that as of Thursday evening was still showing 86 percent of its customers without power.
In a press release sent out by the cooperative Thursday morning, it was reported that 7,500 customers were without power. Across the region, 300-400 poles were broken off due to the high winds that accompanied the storm.
The cooperative said that people should brace for the possibly of multiple days without power.
Power poles lay on their sides, snapped off due to the high winds and ice that came with this week’s storm. The poles stretched for several miles along Highway 56 between Interstate 90 and Rose Creek. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
For more information follow Freeborn-Mower Cooperative at www.fmcs.coop where a continually updating outage map is available, or visit them on Facebook.
To the north, emergency shelters have been opened in four communities of Dodge County including Hayfield at Trinity Lutheran Church at 104 16th Street NE. People are asked to bring pillows, blankets, cellphone and charger, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department.
Earlier Thursday evening, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office put on their Facebook that Dodge County officials declared a State of Emergency. Over 4,340 homes were without power Thursday afternoon and it’s estimated power will be restored anywhere between 24 and 72 hours.
