Trees caused HEA outages in Sterling

Birch trees laden with snow and ice will — as poet Robert Frost memorialized in his piece “Birches” — often “bend to left and right/across the lines of straighter darker trees.”

Frost was inspired, but for an electrical utility such as Homer Electric Association, trees bent or broken under a load of fresh snow are a danger to powerlines and a frequent cause of outages such as those that struck the Sterling area after Sunday’s snowfall.

HEA Director of Member Relations Bruce Shelley said the utility had “somewhere in the area of six to 10 power outages” early in the week, “mainly caused by snowload bending or breaking trees over our powerlines.”

Announcements on HEA’s Facebook page record Sunday outages for 23 HEA members on Homer’s Skyline Drive, and 47 members around Sterling’s Moose Range and Robinson Loop areas, and on Friday a 141 member outage near Funny River.

After taking care of these larger outages, Shelley said HEA crews spent a lot of time in Sterling on Sunday “mopping up” smaller outages. Though he’s only informed of power outages that affect more than 20 HEA meters, Shelley said he’d heard of many outages in Sterling affecting single homes after falling trees or limbs disconnected the lines carrying power into their homes. HEA is still responsible for individual outages because “it’s our equipment all the way to the meter-base, whether that’s on a post out in the yard, or attached to the house,” Shelley said.

HEA is required to keep the rights-of-way surrounding its powerlines clear of trees for a certain distance from the line, but trees outside this limit can also cause outages if they are tall enough to bend or break over the line.

“We don’t have authority to cut the trees outside the easement, but if you see a tree that looks like it’s going down, call us, and there’s a good chance we’ll take it out if it could hit the lines,” Shelly said.

If your home is without power, HEA’s website recommends first checking fuses and circuit breakers, seeing if your neighbors are also having outages, and calling HEA’s outage hotline at 888-868-8243.

Reach Ben Boettger at ben.boettger@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

A towering Lutz spruce, center, in the Chugach National Forest is about to be hoisted by a crane Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, for transport to the West Lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to be the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service)
Tongass National Forest selected to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Eight to 10 candidate trees will be evaluated, with winner taking “whistlestop tour” to D.C.

A slash pile containing non-organic construction debris is seen at the Snug Harbor Slash Disposal site on Sept. 22, 2020, in Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management)
Assembly OKs concrete lease in Cooper Landing

The vote came amid widespread community opposition to the agreement

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
Children hunt for Easter eggs during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center on Saturday.
Easter eggs, bunnies arrive on the Kenai Peninsula

There are plenty of opportunities to grab a photo with the Easter bunny or seek out some eggs

Flier for Bear Awareness and Electric Fencing Workshops. (Provided by Defenders of Wildlife)
Local workshops to focus on managing bear attractants, electric fencing

The series will run Monday through Friday, April 1-5, in Hope, Seward, Kenai, Soldotna and Homer

A person walks up the steps of the Alaska Capitol, Jan. 16, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
Some KPBSD schools could benefit from internet bill passed by House

If House Bill 193 becomes law, an additional six KPBSD schools would be eligible for the state’s grant program

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
A veterinarian with Greater Good Charities escorts dog Maggie into a free spay/neuter clinic at the Moose Pass Fire Station on Thursday.
Moose Pass rallies behind free spay and neuter clinic

The clinic was put on by Greater Good Charities Good Fix program

Signage marks the entrance to Nikiski Middle/High School on Monday, May 16, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski student arrested after school shooting threats

The juvenile student faces charges of terroristic threatening

Armageddon waits to be shown at the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Agriculture Expo on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Bjorkman farm tax relief bill clears Senate

The bill is now up for consideration in the House

Most Read