Columbia River Gorge business owners brace for power loss

CORBETT Ore. (KPTV) - Communities in the Columbia River Gorge are facing public safety power shut offs and some areas have already lost power. Others are still bracing for a possible shut off.

Currently, Portland General Electric customers in Corbett have lost power. Corbett Fire Station at 36930 East Historic Columbia River Highway is providing ice, water and a place to charge batteries and medical devices.

Down the road, Multnomah Lodge and Cascade Locks do have power, but customers have been warned that might not last.

Michelle Sobaski, owner of Thirsty Coffee Bar in Cascade Locks, said a loss of power, even for a day or two, would be devastating for her own and many other local businesses. She’d lose both sales and ingredients during the shutoff.

“Most of it would be milk,” Sobaski said. “And would be a total loss.”

But Sobaski said a fire would be far worse, and she’s more concerned about losing her home or the Gorge.

“I think the fires are one of the most terrifying things we went through,” Sobaski said. “I think we all still have a lot of PTSD from it.”

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