MURDO — Conditions usually get better when a storm system passes by, but heavy wet snow and strong winds behind a snow storm caused over 1300 member-owners of West Central Electric to lose power Monday. In a post on the West Central Electric Cooperative Facebook page Chief Executive Officer Jeff Birkeland says the problems started when ice, caked up on power line began to shed and drop off the lines causing damage including at least 19 broken poles, numerous burn-outs and wrapped up wires. Most of the impacted counties were along the I-90 corridor including Lyman where nearly 900 meters were off line at one time. Stanley, Jones, Mellette, Tripp, Jackson and Haakon County also reported outages in West Central territory. That area saw nearly six to eight inches of heavy wet snow. Crews from Oahe Electric in Blunt are being called in to assist West Central. Some 100 customers were without power overnight.
