Widespread power outages are reported in the Black Hills, northeastern Wyoming and parts of Montana. Black Hills Energy crews have begun restoring power to some neighborhoods, according to Rapid City officials.
Police and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department are directing traffic at major intersections that remain without power, Kotatv reports. The city is urging residents to stay put unless it is necessary to travel
The outage also caused Rapid City Transit to halt service until 2:30 p.m. (local time). Buses are now back in service, although RTS officials warn that riders may still face delays as some junctions remain affected or have heavy traffic. The Pennington County Courthouse was evacuated after electrical problems led to reports of cracking and smoke.
Rapid City Police are issuing an advisory
“NOTE TO MOTORISTS: We are receiving reports of widespread power outages throughout Rapid City. If you encounter an intersection with a broken traffic signal, consider it a four-way stop. We are currently working with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office to have officers and deputies assist with traffic at the city’s busier intersections at this time,” the Rapid City Police Department said in a Facebook post.
The Rapid City Public Library has been closed due to equipment issues, the report said. The Rapid Fire Department reminds the public to call 911 only in the event of a true emergency, not to report or inquire about power outages to keep emergency lines free.
A KOTA reporter spoke with a Black Hills Energy representative who explained that a transmission problem associated with a third-party facility was to blame.
Meanwhile, Black Hills Energy released a statement saying it has a response plan in place and that its crews are thoroughly trained to handle situations like this. Power was restored to almost half of their affected customers. According to Black Hills Energy, they will continue to safely restore power to customers this afternoon and potentially into the evening hours.
A widespread power outage affects the Dominican Republic
In related news, parts of the Dominican capital Santo Domingo and tourist hub Punta Cana remained without power on Tuesday after the national power provider reported a widespread outage caused by a “transmission system failure”, AFP reported.
Posts on social media indicated that other regions across the country were also affected. By evening, officials said power was gradually coming back online.
Energy Secretary Joel Santos told reporters that “it’s a failure that ultimately affected the system as a whole and created what’s called a blackout. Obviously, it’s a regrettable situation.”
He added that “service will gradually be restored … We already have 455 megawatts, which is about 15 percent of estimated demand.”
