Missoula cleans up after windstorm; restoration of power 'a complicated problem' - The Missoulian
Neighborhoods silenced and darkened by Monday’s storm came to life early Tuesday, as Missoula residents dealt with toppled trees, blocked roads, crushed vehicles and downed power lines. “Everybody outside Linda Vista, we’re expecting to be out until late Wednesday,” said Butch Larcombe, spokesman for NorthWestern Energy. “It’s been slow going, but we’re working on it. We’re throwing our manpower at it. ”. In Linda Vista, however, the wait could be even longer. Lightning and downed power lines sparked numerous fires in the area, including one in the lower Rattlesnake Valley at the base of Mount Jumbo. “We were all trying to call 9-1-1, but it was just a busy signal, so someone finally drove to the fire station,” Schenck said Tuesday. “It was a bad storm and there was a lot going on, but I thought we would’ve gotten more than a busy signal at 9-1-1. ”. Adriane Beck, director of the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management, said the 9-1-1 system worked as designed, though... Between 6 and 11 p. m. Monday, the center received 700 emergency calls initiating 500 calls for service, a volume that strapped responders and forced them to triage priorities. Source: missoulian.com
