Thursday | November 10, 2022
All News

OUTAGE UPDATE 7:00 PM - 11/12/2022
Line crews have power restored to all permanent residential Northern Electric Cooperative members. Only three non-residential members will remain off overnight as crews continue making repairs following this week’s ice storm.

Northern Electric would like to thank the members who experienced outages during the past few days for their patience and resilience. Co-op line crews, employees, and staff do not take it lightly when members must go through the night without power, but this week’s ice storm presented some serious challenges. Line crews encountered numerous problems in the field including broken wires, more than 75 broken poles, and trees and branches that had fallen into the lines.

The threat of more outages still exists even though power has been restored. It is expected that large amounts of ice will continue to hang on trees and power lines with the forecasted cold temperatures. Any type of strong wind will have the potential to cause more problems. There will also likely be more outages as the ice begins to fall off the lines because the lines can become tangled which will knock out power. Northern Electric urges members to prepare for the possibility of scattered outages until the ice is fully melted.

Northern Electric would like to thank Sioux Valley Energy, H-D Electric Cooperative, FEM Electric Association, and Cam-Wal Electric Cooperative for sending additional linemen and equipment to assist Northern Electric crews. The 15 additional linemen helped ensure power was restored in the safest and fastest manner possible. It truly takes a team effort to turn the lights back on for every member. Northern Electric Cooperative would like to thank members for their patience, positive comments, and support during this extended outage.

Members should call 605-225-0310 to report any additional outages or emergencies. Phones are always answered 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Click here to view the SDREA Outage Map

Click here for storm safety resources

ice on line

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OUTAGE UPDATE 9:00 AM - 11/12/2022
The goal is to restore power to all of our members today. As of 9:00 AM on Saturday there were still 80 members without power. We sincerely thank those members for their patience and resilience as line crews continue to fix line breaks (pictured), clear trees and branches hanging in lines, and address numerous other problems caused by this week's ice storm. Nearly 30 linemen are on the ground this morning working hard to turn the lights back on for every member. Thank you again for your patience, positive comments and support.

OUTAGE UPDATE 8:30 PM - 11/11/2022
Northern Electric crews made significant progress on Friday with the help of 15 additional linemen from fellow South Dakota cooperatives. Unfortunately, they are still encountering several issues caused by this week's ice storm and about 100 members will remain without power overnight. Crews are heading in for the night and will head back out on Saturday morning to continue restoration efforts. We thank all of our members for their understanding and patience.

OUTAGE UPDATE 4:00 PM - 11/11/2022

Northern Electric Cooperative line crews have made significant progress restoring power Friday with the help of 15 additional linemen from four different electric cooperatives. There are 187 members in Brown County who are still without power as of 4:00 PM on Friday. Power has been restored in all other counties. Crews will continue to work into the night with the goal of restoring power to all members. However, the icy and cold conditions continue to present challenges for the line crews and it is likely that some members will still be without power overnight. Please call 605-225-0310 to report any additional outages or emergencies.

OUTAGE UPDATE 9:00 AM - 11/11/2022

Northern Electric hopes to make significant progress in restoring power today. Northern Electric crews hit the ground early Friday morning with the help of 15 additional linemen from Sioux Valley Energy, H-D Electric, Cam-Wal Electric, and FEM Electric Association. Thick ice, wind, and trees are still causing problems throughout the service territory. There are currently 330 members without power in Brown County, 23 members without power in Edmunds County, and 3 members without power in Spink County. Power has been restored to all members in Faulk County. The ice and wind has taken down about 25 power poles. Please continue to report outages or emergencies to 605-225-0310. Thank you for your continued patience as we work to restore power in these difficult conditions.

OUTAGE UPDATE 8:45 PM - 11/10/2022:

Northern Electric is pulling its crews in from the field for the night. It is no longer safe to continue to work in the dark. There are currently 329 members off in Brown County, 23 in Edmunds County, 22 members without power in Faulk County, and 1 member off in Spink County. Northern Electric line crews will be back out early on Friday morning along with crews from Cam Wal Electric Cooperative, Sioux Valley Energy, and H-D Electric Cooperative. We hope the extra help will lead to more progress on Friday. Thank you for your patience as we work to safely restore power.

OUTAGE UPDATE 4:15 P.M. - 11/10/2022: 

Northern Electric Cooperative members in Brown and Spink counties should prepare to spend Thursday night without electricity as thick ice and windy conditions continue to hinder power restoration efforts.

Nearly 700 members were without power as of 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10. Co-op crews have struggled to stay ahead of the outages as they continue to encounter thick ice, downed lines, and broken branches and trees. Crews have also found at least 25 broken poles.

There were 579 members without power in Brown County and 104 members without power in Spink County at 4:00 p.m. on November 10. Line crews from Cam-Wal Electric Cooperative from Selby, SD, H-D Electric Cooperative from Clear Lake, SD, and Sioux Valley Energy from Colman, SD, will begin assisting Northern Electric on Friday morning.  

Members of the public are urged to stay at least 40 feet away from any damaged infrastructure and downed power lines. Some broken wires were discovered by co-op crews on Thursday that were still live and were burning the ground. If members of the public encounter broken wires and downed lines they should call 605-225-0310 to report the damage.

    Northern Electric thanks all the members who have been affected by this ice storm for their patience while crews work to restore power in the safest and fastest manner possible.

    OUTAGE UPDATE 11:55 AM: More than 600 Northern Electric members do not have power due to an ice storm that continues to impact the service territory. There are several reports of downed power lines, branches on power lines, and at least 10 broken poles. There are about 572 members without power in Brown County and 121 members without power in Spink County. Northern Electric has requested mutual aid from the South Dakota Rural Electric Association (SDREA) to assist in power restoration efforts. Please stay at least 40 feet away from any downed power lines and report the damage to 605-225-0310.

    OUTAGE UPDATE 8:45 AM: There are currently more than 500 members off throughout the Northern Electric Cooperative service territory. Crews are encountering broken poles and structures and galloping power lines due to the ice and wind. Please stay away from any downed power lines and report damage to 605-225-0310.

    OUTAGE UPDATE 6:45 AM: Northern Electric crews are in the field working to restore power this morning. There are currently more than 100 members without power in Brown County. Ice is covering power lines and outages are scattered throughout Brown County. Please call 605-225-0310 to report outages and emergencies and STAY AWAY from downed power lines.

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    Northern Electric Cooperative will be providing regular updates on its website and social media channels: