When storms moved through our area on August 18 and 19, CHELCO crews responded to 147 separate outages affecting more than 4,600 members. Lightning caused many of those outages, but trees and branches also played a major role. In some cases, falling limbs damaged equipment or brought power lines to the ground.
Events like these are a reminder of why CHELCO invests in year-round right-of-way (ROW) maintenance.
Trees and Power Lines Don’t Mix
Trees are an important part of our communities, but they can create serious problems when they grow too close to power lines. During normal weather, a branch may seem harmless. During high winds, heavy rain or lightning, that same branch can fall into a line, disrupt electric service and create a dangerous situation for members, motorists and crews.
Preventing Outages Before They Happen
CHELCO’s right-of-way maintenance program is designed to address these risks before storms arrive. Crews regularly inspect power line corridors and trim vegetation away from energized equipment. This preventative work helps create needed clearance, reducing the likelihood that trees will contact lines during severe weather.
Working Together for Reliable Service
CHELCO understands that members value the trees on their property. Our vegetation management team works to balance reliability, safety and environmental stewardship while maintaining rights-of-way across the service territory.
Leading Outage Causes – 2025
Trees & Limbs: 2,678,000 minutes
Lightning: 499,000 minutes
Squirrels & Critters: 275,000 minutes
Vehicle Collisions: 512,000 minutes
No electric system can prevent every outage caused by major storms, but proactive tree trimming remains a proven way to reduce service interruptions. The August storms showed how quickly trees and severe weather can impact the electric system. By keeping rights-of-way clear, CHELCO can improve reliability and restore power more efficiently when outages occur.
The next time you see a CHELCO contractor trimming trees near power lines, remember: that work is helping keep power flowing to you, your family, and your neighbors.
