MISSOULA — "Please plan for prolonged outages," the 9:30 AM Flathead Electric Cooperative update said.
Wind continued to whip through the Flathead area Friday night, knocking down trees which resulted in more outages overnight.
The update says there are 50 separate outages which are affecting over 4,395 members.
FEC crews worked overnight, but the wind was difficult to contend with, and crews were unable to keep up with the outages.
"The damage is extensive, and we have brought in additional help from neighboring utilities and contractors in the area to assist with this effort. Our operations team is working hard to dispatch crews and get more help here. We have extra staff in all critical areas and are strategizing the best ways to keep crews rested and fed through what we know will be a long restoration effort."
A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 11 AM for Flathead Lake, Flathead and Mission Valleys, and Polson.
