The Sweet Home School District has canceled school for Friday, Sept. 9, following confirmation from Sweet Home Police Chief Jeff Lynn that the city’s power would be shut off at 6 a.m., Supt. Terry Martin said Thursday afternoon.
According to Pacific Power, power will be cut within many portions of the Sweet Home School District early Friday morning as a precautionary measure due to forecasted high temperatures, low humidity levels and east winds. Additional areas will be added at around 4 p.m.
“We have made the decision to cancel school for Friday,” Martin wrote in a letter to parents. “Without power, it is difficult to see in dark classrooms and restrooms, prepare meals for students and, most importantly, we can lose communication services which is a safety risk. By making the announcement now, we hope you have time to plan for childcare for Friday and make other safety arrangements.”
However, a planned Friday evening football game at Molalla is expected to proceed as planned.
Lynn said that Pacific Power officials confirmed the outage to both him and Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan.
Pacific Power stated on its social media page that the outage could last “through Saturday evening” and would affect some 12,000 customers in Crawfordsville, Holley, Liberty, Sweet Home, Cascadia, Lacomb and Jordan.
A temporary community resource center is being established at Sankey Park, 877 14th Ave. Its hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, unless service is restored earlier. Amenities will include air conditioning, water, nonperishable snacks, seating and tables, restrooms, refrigeration and heating for medicine and/or baby needs, onsite security, televisions and Wi-Fi, ice, charging stations, small crates for pets and ADA accessibility.
For a map of affected areas, visit pacificpower.net/psps. For all non-emergency questions about the shutoff, customers and the public are advised to call 1 (888) 221-7070.