Grand Rapids, MN – Lake Country Power line crews worked around the clock to restore power to co-op members throughout the Grand Rapids and Mountain Iron service areas Friday and Saturday (June 18 – 19). The hardest hit areas included Lake Vermilion, Cook and Side Lake.

At the height of the storm, nearly 6,000 Lake Country Power members were without power from high wind speeds, combined with soft soil conditions from previous rain saturation, which caused trees to topple onto power lines.

Crews began making headway after midnight Friday when the wind conditions began to subside. Until then, the winds were relentless and steady. Additional crews from the cooperative’s Kettle River Service Center had been dispatched Friday late afternoon to assist in restoration efforts.

The majority of Lake Country Power members had power restored by Saturday afternoon. Less than 100 members on Canadian Sandpoint had power restored by later Saturday. In this particular location the electric service is primarily underwater, and crews had to restore by boat and water methods.
 
Lake Country Power, www.lakecountrypower.coop, is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative serving parts of eight counties in northeastern Minnesota. The rural electric cooperative provides services to more than 42,000 members and has offices located in Grand Rapids, Kettle River and Mountain Iron.

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