The Milnor- and Edgely-based cooperative, which serves Wahpeton and most of rural Richland County, started receiving calls of outages from residents near Ashley and Forbes on Thursday. Calls continued to pour in throughout the weekend, culminating in 900 who lost power by Saturday afternoon, said Kathy Rysavy, energy management coordinator.
"(The ice) just kept building up, especially out west, where there were several inches of ice," she said.
|
Advertisement |
Although 30 people were out of power by Sunday, the number hiked to 50 by Monday afternoon because of intense wind speeds. Poor visibility east of Ashley and Forbes forced the cooperative to call crews back in, said Rysavy.
"It was just so bad, they couldn't even see each other," she said. "It was just so dangerous."
But for many in town, the worst part of Monday's weather was the wind and cold. Otter Tail Power Co. and the Breckenridge Public Utilities office reported no power outages.
No vehicle accidents had been reported in Breckenridge or Wahpeton by Tuesday morning. However, a laundry list of events were postponed or closed due to the blizzard, including schools, sports events and service organization meetings. The Breckenridge School Board kept its special meeting at 6 p.m. to interview candidates for the open superintendent position, a decision they sought to make as soon as possible.
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Daily News is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in wahpetondailynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the The Daily News. The Daily News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized The Daily News spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!