Montana News
'Essential travel only,' conserve water, avoid rivers and creeks, officials say after severe storm in Missoula area
With Montana News, I'm Corinne Cade Scarnie, a severe thunderstorm rocked parts of Western Montana Wednesday evening. Extreme wind gusts toppled trees and power lines across the region leaving thousands without electricity through the night. Local dispatch centers were inundated with calls through the evening, at times sending callers a busy tone. The city of Missoula Fire Department on Facebook said it was responding to many calls of downed power lines and trees. The city and Missoula Public Works and Mobility Office on Facebook urged residents to conserve water through the power outage. Northwestern Energy says it's working to restore services as quickly as possible. Missoula Electric Cooperative in a Facebook post warned of the possibility of extended multi-day outages due to the severity of the storm and damages left behind. Much of Missoula remained without power as of 545 Thursday morning. Montana Public Radio is off air, as was its broadcast headquarters at the University of Montana. Updates can be found at mtpr.org. I'm Corinne Cade Scarnie. This is Montana Public Radio News.