Thousands of Utahns left without power amidst record temperatures
Jul 17, 2024, 6:00 AM | Updated: 8:24 pm
Temperatures reached 90 degrees, a record for October in Salt Lake City. (Canva)
(Canva)
SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands were without power during record high temperatures over the weekend.
Power outages affected 22,000 Utahns, some for 30 minutes, some for almost ten hours.
It left many people panicking on what to do, or what to expect.
Rocky Mountain Power Communications Specialist, Jona Whitesides says each small outage was caused by something different, like wind gusts or equipment failure. But one thing’s for sure, it got extremely hot.
He says people should always prepare for the unexpected, along with preparing for record temperatures.
“If they do lose power, what is that plan? Maybe it’s a generator at their house, or maybe it’s going to somebody else’s house,” Whitesides said.
If you do experience a power outage during this extreme heat, check the Rocky Mountain Power app or their outage map online. That will help you know how long it could be and then you’ll be able to make the best decision on how to proceed.
“Take the same steps they would for individual and family preparedness as they would for any other type of emergency or disaster,” Whitesides said.
You can also sign up for text alerts to be notified as soon as an outage happens.
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