Quick response and sparse traffic minimized damage overnight May 29 following a damaging wind storm in the Granite Shoals area.
Emergency officials believe possible straightline winds may be to blame for snapped power poles, outages and at least one vehicle by a broken utility pole.
“Thanks to PEC’s quick response, we were able to get power back to Granite Shoals after three or four hours,” said Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis. “All of 1431 west of Highland Haven, near Twin Isles, was closed to traffic because of the power lines down and broken poles.” One of the poles landed on a vehicle, and the motorist remained inside until an emergency crew arrived to ensure he exited safely, Ortis said.
“We had to assist to shut down the highway, so PEC could start damage assessment and repairs,” he added.
The worst of the storm, which included rain and lightning, started around 9 p.m. and peaked around 3 a.m.
At one point, PEC was called in the middle of the night to the 1400 block of Redwood to remove a trampoline that blew into a utility pole adjacent to a residence.
Crews partially reopened the roadway around 6 a.m. moving two-way commuter traffic in the southbound lanes.
By 8:30 a.m. crews replaced all downed utility poles along the highway. All debris and repairs were expected to be completed by noon.
