After periods of heavy rain, the ground becomes saturated and soft. This weakens the stability of tree roots, making them more likely to fall, even when there’s no wind or storm in sight. A sunny, quiet day doesn’t mean the danger has passed. In fact, it’s not uncommon for trees to fall hours or even days after a storm ends.
In areas already impacted by severe weather earlier this year — like Lafayette Springs and the surrounding communities — many trees were left leaning or structurally compromised by the tornado. These weakened trees are especially prone to falling without warning.
At North East Power, we work hard to maintain clear rights-of-way to protect our lines. However, when tall, mature trees fall from outside those cleared areas, they often land directly across power lines, causing unexpected outages.
We know how disruptive and frustrating outages can be, especially when they seem to come out of nowhere. Please know our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to get your power restored. Your patience and understanding mean a great deal to us.