translated from Spanish: Intense winter storm leaves northwestern U.S. without electricity.

The hardest-hit area was Portland, Oregon, where more than 200,000 people were out of light on Saturday night. Authorities warned that it will take a day or two, or perhaps longer, to restore service, and meteorologists predicted more adverse conditions in the coming days. Weather conditions, loss of electricity and lack of transportation led Oregon Governor Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency for the Portland metropolitan area on Saturday afternoon.” The crews of workers are all outside now, coordinating with disaster response agencies to restore communications where they are most needed, such as heat shelters,” Brown said in a statement.” I am committed to making all state resources available to ensure that emergency crews have everything they need on the ground,” he added. Strong winter storms and freezing temperatures have been affecting the western United States in recent days, leaving the homeless particularly vulnerable. Volunteer groups were trying to protect homeless people in Casper, Wyoming, and the National Weather Service warned that temperatures could drop to 37 degrees Celsius below zero (35 degrees Fahrenheit below zero). In the states of Washington and Oregon, authorities opened heat shelters to ensure homeless people are safe from cold and snow. The lack of electricity could continue for several more days in the Portland area, warned Elizabeth Lattanner, spokes staff for the power company PGE.” In storms like this, restoring service takes time because our crews face tough challenges in getting to places in need and repairing equipment,” Lattanner explained.” We have more than 600 people – whether employees of PGE or contracted companies – responding to the situation, it’s a case where everyone should give their share,” he added. – Numerous trees broke under the weight of snow and ice, knocking down electrical wires and causing explosions from the switch boxes. By noon on Saturday, there were more than 1,200 wires lying down, Lattanner said. Oregon authorities closed Interstate 84 and suspended all train and bus routes in the region. Tia York, spokesman for the transport company TriMet, called on all citizens to refrain from using the tracks unless you’re an emergency. “It’s too dangerous to be outside,” he said in a statement.

Original source in Spanish