Verendrye Electric Co-op urges safety around power lines statewide
Cleanup and maintenance to last for several weeks

Power was restored to all Verendrye members on Monday night, but Verendrye Electric Co-op urges people to be aware of potential safety issues as crews continue to work on damaged power lines across North Dakota.

“Our first priority during a large outage like this one is to get people’s power back on as quickly and as safely as possible. Once that’s done there is a lot of work left to do to” said Verendrye Electric Manager Randy Hauck.

Crews will be working for weeks conducting detailed inspections on thousands of poles and hundreds of miles of power lines and many substations in many parts of the state. Problem spots such as lines hanging lower than normal could still be encountered.

“We know farmers are anxious to get into the field. We urge caution as they drive machinery underneath power lines. Don’t take chances if you are questioning the clearance. Either find another way into the field or call us.” Hauck said.

Verendrye urges everyone in North Dakota to think about safety around power lines. Other cooperatives in Northwest ND including Burke-Divide Electric Co-op, Mountrail-Williams Electric Co-op and McLean Electric Co-op were also hit hard by the ice storm. Many power lines clearances will be lower than normal anywhere in this area.

Verendrye crews replaced around 439 poles during the ice storm that left some out of power for more than a week. Maintenance left to do also includes removing broken poles from farmers’ land and repairing damage done to fields. Verendrye thanks all of the people who helped lineworkers gain access to downed lines. We also thank people for their patience during the outage.

You can report safety issues or concerns to Verendrye Electric 24/7 by calling 1-800-472-2141.