OPD5 crew works through the night to restore power

An OPD5 line crew worked through the night on Sunday to restore power after high winds broke a power pole in Moapa. Using this utility truck, the crew instituted a temporary fix to restore power quickly. A full pole replacement at this site will eventually bring a permanent resolution to the problem.

An OPD5 line crew in Moapa Valley worked through the night Sunday to restore power to customers following a severe windstorm that brought gusts exceeding 60 miles per hour across the region.

The primary outage began at 7:39 p.m. Sunday after high winds snapped a wooden power pole in Moapa, interrupting electric service to 78 customers. An OPD5 line crew consisting of Cody Hardy, Steve Barlow, Michael Abbott and Garrett Rose, responded immediately to assess the damage and safely restore service under difficult weather conditions.

Because the broken pole was located in an area with especially hard ground conditions, the crew implemented a temporary repair solution to restore power more quickly. Rather than attempt a full pole replacement overnight – a process that would have significantly extended the outage – the crew used a utility truck to safely lift the power line back in place while repairs were completed. OPD5 crews will return in the coming days to complete a permanent replacement of the damaged pole.

While repairs were still underway in Moapa, a second outage occurred in the Stewart’s Point area at approximately 9:30 p.m., requiring part of the crew to temporarily leave the Moapa job site to address the additional issue before returning to help finish restoration efforts.

This is what OPD5 crews found when investigating the cause of a Sunday night power outage. High winds had snapped the wooden pole in half.

Power was fully restored to all affected customers at around 12:45 a.m. Monday morning. The crew’s work was not completed until approximately 1:30 a.m. Despite the long overnight response, all crew members reported back for their regular shifts at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning.

“Last night’s response demonstrated the dedication and professionalism of our line crews,” said OPD5 Line Operations Manager Kyle Leavitt. “These men worked safely and efficiently under challenging conditions to restore power as quickly as possible for our members. We appreciate their efforts through a long night on the job.”

Following the significant wind event, OPD5 crews will spend Monday patrolling large sections of the district’s power lines to proactively identify and address any additional hazards. Crews will be looking for fallen trees, palm branches, wind-blown debris and other conditions that could potentially impact electric service reliability.

OPD5 encourages residents to remain cautious around damaged trees, downed lines or debris near utility equipment and to report any electrical concerns immediately.