By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Some of Sitka’s residential islands lost power early this morning but most were back online well before noon.
Scott Elder, Sitka utility director, said residents from Galankin Island, Gilmore Islands, and others nearby called in about 10 minutes after the fault was discovered by electric department staff at 4:24 a.m.
Elder said his linemen went out in boats at around 7 a.m. to assess the problem. They were able to bring power back to some of the islands after isolating the ones beyond the apparent location of the problem.
Power was restored to most by 10:50 a.m. but the line crew was still working at press time today to determine the source and restore power to the remaining islands.
City power to the islands is provided by an underwater cable from near O’Connell Bridge to Galankin Island, where it branches off to several others lines serving Bamdoroshni, Morne, Whale and Sheep islands, among others.
Some other parts of town reported experiencing a power bump, but no one reported losing power, Elder said.
“The electric department will reserve speculation on when power will be restored to the remaining islands until we can further assess the failure,” he said.
