Lineworkers continue to make significant progress to restore power for Beltrami Electric Cooperative members. Less than 700 members are without power this evening as crews cut through piles of downed timber to reconnect lines and replace broken poles.

Power has been restored to nearly 19,000 co-op members since an extreme storm with wind speeds of more than 100 mph uprooted, snapped and toppled trees onto power lines, homes, cabins, and businesses early Saturday. The National Weather Service compared the storm and its straight-line winds to a Category 3 hurricane.

The weather system caused extensive damage and widespread power outages, leaving nearly 90% of Beltrami Electric Cooperative members without power after it barreled through the region.

BEC crews have made significant progress. Additional crews from Roseau Electric Cooperative, PKM Electric Cooperative (Hallock), Itasca-Mantrap (Park Rapids) and North Itasca Electric Cooperative (Bigfork) are assisting the restoration effort.

BEC tracks real-time restoration updates on its outage map at: www.beltramielectric.com or through this link: Web Outage Viewer. Members should call 1-800-955-6083 to report an outage.

Co-op members without power and in need of assistance are urged to contact the United Way of Bemidji Area or Disaster Recovery | United Way of Bemidji Area, which is coordinating disaster relief efforts across Beltrami County.