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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 24, 2007 Pacific Power lineman Ross Leslie works on restoring power Friday afternoon to the Yank Gulch Road area near Talent. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Power to the people Outages from snowstorm remain a problem, as crews are forced to work 'around the clock' throughout county By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A smattering of local homes will go without electricity until late this afternoon, a Pacific Power spokesman said Friday. The weight of sloppy, wet snow on tree branches and power lines, fed by this week's storm, led to isolated outages throughout Jackson County, said Monte Mendenhall of Pacific Power. More than 1,500 homes remained in the dark Friday afternoon, about a third of those related to a damaged transmission pole near TouVelle State Park. Yet small pockets of repair work stretched from Butte Falls to Applegate, which made for slow going Friday, Mendenhall said. "We've got crews scattered throughout the county," Mendenhall said. "We're going to keep working around the clock." For rural homes dependent on wells that use electric pumps, no power also meant no water. But some residents weathered the inconvenience with old-fashioned ingenuity. Nancy Michaelis, 67, of Talent, melted snow on her wood-burning fireplace insert in order to flush her toilets. She shook "cleaner" snow off pine trees in her yard to wash the dishes following meals of scrambled eggs, toast and beans cooked atop the wood stove. Advertisement "I grew up with a wood stove," Michaelis said. Michaelis also praised another out-moded amenity, her wall-mounted phone. Neighbors on Yank Gulch Road who had only electricity-powered cordless phones were cut off from the outside world entirely, she said. "I said 'I'm glad we didn't get rid of that,'" Michaelis said. Living in the same house since 1971, Michaelis said she couldn't remember when the power had been off for so long. After more than 30 hours without electricity and only a little bottled water, her husband struck out for town and more supplies. Pacific Power restored their service a short time later. Turning the power back on, in many cases, meant working with electricians home by home, Mendenhall said. Falling tree limbs downed a slew of service lines to individual residences, he said. Faults caused by lines simply slapping together also required repair. Pacific Power called in crews from elsewhere in Oregon and from Northern California, but those regions had their own outages Friday, Mendenhall said. Grants Pass reported 235 homes without power. Klamath Falls had 127, Yreka 139. KTVL Channel 10 was off the air since Thursday when power to its transmitter atop Mount Ashland was knocked out. Cable viewers still had full access to KTVL programming, and CBS network programming was available via KTVL's www.ktvl.com Web site. Mendenhall said he didn't believe another storm in the forecast would slow Saturday's progress at making repairs. More snow is expected in the Rogue Valley today and tonight, with as much as 1 inch accumulating, the National Weather Service Medford Forecast Office reported. Far more — a foot or so — is forecast for higher elevations. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help