Winds Cut Power to 5,000 Temporarily

Harsh winds downing tree branches and knocking power lines into one another Saturday night cut power to more than 5,000 customers citywide, including pockets of the San Fernando Valley, said a spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

The strong gusts affected areas from Hollywood to Los Feliz and large sections of West Los Angeles, said Ed Freudenberg of the DWP. In Sherman Oaks, at least 1,500 people went without power for about two hours Saturday night.

Though power was restored to most areas within hours, several hundred residents in the West Los Angeles area lost power for the whole night. Freudenberg said nearly all the downed lines were back up by 9 a.m. Sunday.

“This is expected with the winds that we have at this time of the year,” he said.