Nearly 1,000 people on the Tahuya Peninsula lost power on Thanksgiving Day after thieves broke into underground electrical vaults. The thieves cut and removed copper wires, leading to the outages.
The power went out on Thanksgiving just after 2 p.m., while many were in the middle of cooking up Thanksgiving dinner. While power was restored to most residents by 5:30 p.m. that day, some were waiting until after 5:30 a.m. the following morning due to the extent of the damage.
While they continue to inspect other vaults for damage, PUD 3 is also taking steps to make access harder for thieves by enhanced security measures.
PUD 3 is also working on ways to make outages shorter and easier to fix, both in the short-term and the long-term. This includes upgrading or installing specialized equipment to help isolate outages to smaller areas and restore power faster.
Underground power systems include multiple vaults along each mile of power lines, and many are in remote areas. Security cameras or other monitoring systems are infeasible or would be outrageously expensive to cover the 1,800 miles of line that PUD 3 maintains.
Mason PUD 3 is asking residents to help keep an eye out, recalling the common phrase: “If you see something, say something.” Anyone who sees anything suspicious can call PUD 3 to confirm the work is theirs, or can call 911, especially if the activity is clearly dangerous. Thieves oftentimes wear reflective vests and hardhats or find other ways to attempt to look legitimate.
Thieves nationwide are risking their lives to steal copper and other metals for scrap, but the payoff is not worth the risk to themselves and others.