Crews responding to widespread outages following severe weather

6/25 | 9:30 a.m.

We know this has been a long and exhausting week for everyone. We’re in the final stretch. Thank you for your continued patience, kindness, and support. It means more than you know.

Our crews have been giving it their all to completely restore power across our service area. We’re nearly there, but we know that for those still without power, it doesn’t feel fast enough. We’re doing everything we can to reach every last home and business in all the communities we serve.

We’re focused on:

• Tackling the most complex and time-consuming repairs.
• Restoring nested outages and individual service lines.
• Helping customers identify damage to their own equipment that may be preventing restoration.

In Bemidji, we’ve restored power to most neighborhoods. We’re continuing repair work for nested outages at individual locations.

In the Jamestown area, we’ve restored power to Clifford, Colgate, Galesburg, and Melville. Crews are working on new outages in Pillsbury and Wimbledon and expect to have repairs completed this morning.

If your neighbors have power and you don’t, the issue may be with equipment on your property. You can find a helpful diagram and more information on what to look for at otpco.com/outages (click on next steps after power restoration) or call us at 800-257-4044 for assistance.

This will be our final public update on this restoration effort. We’ll continue working behind the scenes until every customer is restored, and we’ll reach out directly to anyone who still needs support.

From all of us—thank you for standing with us through this. We’re proud to serve you.

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6/24 | 6:15 p.m. 

Our crews have made strong progress today, and we’re working hard to restore the remaining outages before wrapping up for the night. Please know—we’re doing everything we can to get your power back on as soon as possible.

Have we noted that we’ve restored power to your community or neighborhood, but you’re still without power at your place? The issue might be with equipment that you own, such as the meter box, weatherhead, or service mast. If these parts are damaged, we won’t be able to reconnect your power until they’re repaired by a licensed electrician.

Not sure what to look for? Visit otpco.com/outages and click on next steps after power restoration to see a simple diagram showing what equipment is your responsibility and what belongs to us.

We’ll continue working until the last possible moment tonight, and we’ll be back at it first thing tomorrow. Thank you again for standing with us—we’re in this together.

Here’s the most recent information on our restoration efforts.

Bemidji: We’ve restored power to most neighborhoods. Though as we’ve outlined above, not all homes or businesses may be ready to receive power. We’ll continue repair work for nested outages at individual locations until all customers are online, with extensive work ongoing this evening.

Jamestown area:

We’ll provide another update around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Thank you.

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6/24 | 10:00 a.m.

Today marks the fourth day of our storm restoration efforts, and we want to begin by thanking you once again for your continued patience.

We recognize how difficult it is to be without power for this long, and we’re working with urgency and care to restore service to every customer. Crews are back out this morning, focusing on remaining outages and complex repairs that require extra time and coordination.

As we continue bringing more communities online, please note we may still see nested outages and will continue repairs until all customers have been restored. Be sure to read the information at the bottom of this update describing nested outages.

Here’s the most recent information on our restoration efforts.

Bemidji: Crews made significant progress last night. With more-complex-than-expected repairs needed, we’ve adjusted our estimated restoration times for today.

Wahpeton area: Crews brought Sheldon online around 6:00 p.m. yesterday.

Jamestown area:

If we’ve restored power to your community, but you’re still without electricity, the issue may be specific to your location. Visit otpco.com/outages for more information on what to do after we’ve restored power to your area.

What causes nested outages

• Localized damage: A tree might have taken down a secondary line or transformer serving just a few homes. These issues are downstream of the feeder and need separate repairs.
• Blown fuses or faulted equipment: A fuse on a tap line (a smaller branch off the feeder) may have blown, isolating a few homes.
• Service line issues: The line from the pole to your house might be damaged or disconnected.
• Meter or panel problems: Sometimes the issue is on the customer’s side, like a damaged meter base or breaker panel. If your weatherhead, meter box, or service mast is damaged, we can’t safely restore your power until those parts are repaired. You’ll need to call a licensed electrician to fix them first. Once that’s done, let us know and we’ll reconnect your service as soon as it’s safe. See otpco.com/outages to learn more.
• Manual isolation: Crews may intentionally isolate certain areas for safety or repair sequencing.

We’ll provide another update around 6:00 p.m. today. Thank you.

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6/23/24 | 6:00 p.m.

We see you. We hear you. And we’re so grateful for your patience. Our crews are working hard to bring every light back on. Thank you for standing with us!

As we continue bringing more communities online, please note we may still see nested outages and will continue repairs until all customers have been restored. Be sure to read the information at the bottom of this update describing nested outages.

Here’s the most recent information on our restoration efforts.

Bemidji:

Wahpeton area: Crews anticipate restoration in the Sheldon area around 6:30 p.m. today.

Jamestown area:

If we’ve restored power to your community, but you’re still without electricity, the issue may be specific to your location. Visit otpco.com/outages for more information on what to do after we’ve restored power to your area.

What causes nested outages

• Localized damage: A tree might have taken down a secondary line or transformer serving just a few homes. These issues are downstream of the feeder and need separate repairs.
• Blown fuses or faulted equipment: A fuse on a tap line (a smaller branch off the feeder) may have blown, isolating a few homes.
• Service line issues: The line from the pole to your house might be damaged or disconnected.
• Meter or panel problems: Sometimes the issue is on the customer’s side, like a damaged meter base or breaker panel. If your weatherhead, meter box, or service mast is damaged, we can’t safely restore your power until those parts are repaired. You’ll need to call a licensed electrician to fix them first. Once that’s done, let us know and we’ll reconnect your service as soon as it’s safe. See otpco.com/outages to learn more.
• Manual isolation: Crews may intentionally isolate certain areas for safety or repair sequencing.

We’ll provide another update around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday). Thank you.

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6/23 | 10:00 a.m. Update

Good morning. We know it’s been a long few days. As we begin day three of our restoration efforts, we want to thank you again for your continued patience, trust, and confidence as we work to get electricity back to your homes and businesses. 

Crews are back in the field, picking up where they left off last night. Below is the most recent information on our restoration efforts.

Bemidji: Crews anticipate restoration to the rest of Bemidji by this afternoon and evening. Following restoration, we may still see nested outages [see more information below describing nested outages] and will continue repairs until all customers have been restored.

Wahpeton area: Crews anticipate restoration will continue in the Sheldon area into this evening.

Jamestown: Crews restored power to customers north of the railroad tracks at approximately 11:15 p.m. yesterday. We are still experiencing nested outages [see more information below describing nested outages] and will continue repairs until all customers have been restored.

Jamestown area:

If we’ve restored power to your community, but you’re still without electricity, the issue may be specific to your location. Visit www.otpco.com/outages for more information on what to do after we’ve restored power to your area.

What causes nested outages

• Localized damage: A tree might have taken down a secondary line or transformer serving just a few homes. These issues are downstream of the feeder and need separate repairs.
• Blown fuses or faulted equipment: A fuse on a tap line (a smaller branch off the feeder) may have blown, isolating a few homes.
• Service line issues: The line from the pole to your house might be damaged or disconnected.
• Meter or panel problems: Sometimes the issue is on the customer’s side, like a damaged meter base or breaker panel. If your weatherhead, meter box, or service mast is damaged, we can’t safely restore your power until those parts are repaired. You’ll need to call a licensed electrician to fix them first. Once that’s done, let us know and we’ll reconnect your service as soon as it’s safe. See otpco.com/outages to learn more.
• Manual isolation: Crews may intentionally isolate certain areas for safety or repair sequencing.

Please continue to stay safe and know that we’ll keep working until everyone has power again. We’ll provide another update around 6:00 p.m. today. Thank you.

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6/22 | 9:00 p.m. Update

As the sun sets on another hot and humid day, we want to take a moment to thank our customers. Your patience and support mean the world to us as our crews continue working tirelessly to restore power across our service area.

Today, 184 dedicated crew members have been out in the field, making steady progress under challenging conditions. We’re incredibly proud of their hard work and commitment.

At some point this evening—hopefully before midnight—our crews will pause to get some much-needed rest. They’ll be back on the job eight hours later, ready to pick up right where they left off. To everyone who has sent kind words, encouragement, or even just a wave—thank you. Your support keeps our teams going.

Below is the most recent information on our restoration efforts.

Bemidji area: Additional materials and equipment needed for continued restoration arrived throughout the day. Unfortunately, due to extensive damage in the area, we’re not yet able to provide an estimated restoration time for specific locations. Crews will be working hard toward full restoration over the next few days, and we hope to provide more targeted updates tomorrow.

Wahpeton area: Crews anticipate restoration will continue in the Sheldon area into Monday evening.

Jamestown: We anticipate that by the end of the night tonight, crews will have restored power to customers north of the railroad tracks. We are still experiencing nested outages and will continue repairs until all customers have been restored.

Jamestown area:

If we’ve restored power to your community, but you’re still without electricity, the issue may be specific to your location. Visit otpco.com/outages for more information on what to do after we’ve restored power to your area.

Our restoration process

We understand how difficult it is to be without power, and we want to get everyone back on as quickly and safely as possible. Here’s how our restoration process works:

As soon as it’s safe, our crews begin surveying the system to identify damage and needed repairs. This helps us prioritize and plan the fastest way to restore power. We start repairs with substations and transmission lines—these are the high-voltage lines that carry electricity across large areas. They must be working before we can restore power to individual communities and neighborhoods.

In many locations, we’ve been able to move to fixing main distribution lines that serve large numbers of homes and businesses. This helps bring power back to the greatest number of customers as quickly as possible. This doesn't mean our smaller communities aren't just as important! We're simply trying to be as efficient as we can.

In the coming days, as we finalize repairs on major lines, we’ll move to smaller neighborhood lines and then to individual homes or businesses that still need service.

We encourage you to visit:
- otpco.com/outages for outage information and what to do after we’ve restored power to your area
- otpco.com/SevereWeatherSafety for summer storm safety resources
- otpco.com/GeneratorSafety for generator safety tips

Our Customer Service team is available 24/7. You can report outages by calling 800-257-4044 or 218-739-8877 or online at otpco.com.

We truly appreciate your patience. We’ll provide another update around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow (Monday). Thank you.

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6/21 | 2:30 p.m. Update

We understand how difficult it is to be without power, especially during severe weather and in the summer heat. Please know that safety remains our top priority.

The recent storm system caused significant damage to our electric system. Our crews are working around the clock in challenging conditions to assess the damage and restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

Here’s the latest on restoration efforts:
🔹 Bemidji: Some areas have been restored, and crews are continuing work to bring more customers back online. We aim to restore power to downtown and SouthShore areas by the end of the day, but plans may change as assessments continue. Unfortunately, due to the extent of the damage, some areas may be without power for 3-4 days.
🔹 Crookston area: Restoration is targeted for late this evening.
🔹 Mahnomen: Crews are making steady progress and expect to restore power late this evening.
🔹 Fergus Falls: Most power has been restored. Full restoration is expected by the end of the day.
🔹 Garrison/Rugby areas: Restoration is expected this evening. Crews are currently patrolling the Tuttle area.
🔹 Jamestown: Crews are actively patrolling and assessing the area.
🔹 Wahpeton: Power has been restored. Crews are now working in the Sheldon area, where damage is extensive. Restoration efforts may continue into Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

We encourage you to visit:
- otpco.com/outages for outage information 
- otpco.com/SevereWeatherSafety for summer storm safety resources  
- otpco.com/GeneratorSafety for generator safety tips

While we’re unable to monitor social media after hours and our social media team doesn’t have access to customer account information, our Customer Service team is available 24/7. You can report outages by calling 800-257-4044 or 218-739-8877, or online at otpco.com.

We know this is frustrating, and we truly appreciate your patience. Our team, your neighbors and fellow community members, are committed to restoring power safely and efficiently. We won’t stop until every light is back on.

We’ll provide another update around 7:00 p.m.

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Crews are working to restore power to thousands of customers following a powerful storm system that swept through the region the evening of June 20. The storm brought multiple tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail across large parts of our company’s service area.

Communities have reported wind gusts up to 94 mph, contributing to significant damage. As of this morning, more than 20,000 Otter Tail Power customers are without power. Crews are patrolling lines to address known issues and search for issues yet to be identified.

“We are grateful for the patience and resilience of our customers,” said Stephanie Hoff, Director of Communications. “Our crews are making steady progress, and we are prioritizing safety while working to restore service as quickly as possible.”

Customers are urged to:

• Report outages at otpco.com or by calling 800-257-4044.
• Stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately.
• Refer to our online outage map for known remaining outages. 

We will continue to provide updates as restoration efforts progress.