KELLOGG, Idaho — A powerful windstorm knocked out electricity across Kellogg early Thursday morning, marking the second time in three months that widespread power outages have disrupted the small Idaho town.
Locals say the outages happened around 1 a.m. Thursday, forcing school officials to cancel classes and leaving many local businesses shuttered throughout the day.
“It looks apocalyptic because you’re so used to having lights and street lights and people’s lights and cars and stuff. It’s just nothing,” said Mike Newsome, a teacher at Kellogg High School who had classes canceled due to the outage.
The power loss affected essential services across town, including gas stations.
“Gas? Shut down. The pumps are closed down, and it seems like a lot of the local businesses are closed down,” Newsome said.
Newsome has lived in Kellogg for about nine months and has already experienced two major windstorms. He praised the community’s resilience while preparing for potentially extended outages.
“It’s a really close community, so everybody kind of just pulls together to take care of each other and get all the work done,” Newsome said.
Avista Utilities responded to the outages by establishing a warming center and charging station at the old Kellogg Middle School. The facility provides residents without power a place to charge electronic devices, get warm and gather as a community.
“We’re having a place for the community to come in charge cell phones, if they need warm up. Just to have some place to gather,” said Kim Casey of Avista Utilities.
The utility company acknowledges the challenges of restoring power during severe weather events.
“It’s Mother Nature. And, you know, we unfortunately can’t control Mother Nature, but we have the best boots on the ground,” Casey said.
However, Avista warns that rural communities in the Silver Valley may face extended outages lasting several days. The situation could be complicated further by a winter storm forecasted to move through the area soon.
The charging station will reopen Friday from 8 a.m. to noon at the old Kellogg Middle School for residents who continue to need assistance.
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