Repair crews worked through Monday and early Tuesday restoring power. In the lower Kenai Peninsula, power was out in Hidden Hills off the North Fork Road, Blackwater Bend, the Old Sterling Highway and parts of East End Road.

“Mostly what we’re dealing with is trees and downed lines,” Gallagher said.

A troublesome spot at McKeon Flats near MacDonald Spit got hit again when trees fell on a transmission line, cutting off power to the south side of Kachemak Bay. HEA crews turned on a standby generator in Seldovia and got temporary power to Seldovia, Nanwalek and Port Graham, but power was out from MacDonald Spit and the McKeon Flats area.

By Tuesday morning, power had been restored to all but a few hundred customers in scattered areas as crews located down trees. Gallagher thanked customers for their patience.

“All the members have just been real patient with Homer Electric throughout this. They knew what was going on looking out the window,” he said.

Outages can be reported at (888) 8OUTAGE, or 888-868-8243.

Winds up to 50 knots and 18-foot seas last Friday caused The Global Hawk, a Panamian-flagged vessel carrying a shipment of logs from Hydaburg to South Korea, to lose an unknown number of logs. The Global Hawk was about 265 miles east of Kodiak in the Gulf of Alaska when its load shifted and the logs went overboard. None of the 21 crew were injured, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release Friday.

The 560-foot Global Hawk sought refuge early this week in Kachemak Bay, and was anchored on the north side of the Homer Spit on Tuesday afternoon. Two hatches were damaged, said Petty Officer Thomas McKenzie of Coast Guard Public Affairs, Juneau. The Global Hawk was reported stable and there were no reports of fuel spills or leaks.

Marine surveyors were heading to the ship this week to assess damage. McKenzie said some cargo might be offloaded in Homer and then reloaded.

A 22-foot sailboat, the S/V Bluebill, also got caught in the storm late Tuesday when its owner, Will Schlein, tried to move it from Mud Bay to the harbor. After pulling anchor, the Bluebill’s centerboard iced up and he had trouble sailing into the wind. High winds pushed him toward the Deep Water Dock and Schlein put out a distress call. Schlein and his crewmate both wore Mustang suits.

Schlein set an anchor about 100 feet off the rocks and waited for help. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary launched its SAVE boat. Dave and Cristy Fry were coming back from fishing on the F/V Realist when they heard the call and got to the Bluebill first. The Frys got a line to the sailboat and towed it back to the harbor. Schlein had to cut his anchor.

“They put their own boat at risk,” Schlein said of the Frys. “They really know how to deal with the heavy seas and did what they needed to do to get my boat to safety,” he said. “When they heard a vessel was in distress, they didn’t hesitate to come out.”

Schlein also praised the quick response of the Auxiliary. The all-volunteer crew launched within 45 minutes, he said, and were on their way when the Realist brought them to the harbor.

Cristy Fry said they got one more chance to help out Schlein and his crewmate. As the Frys were leaving the Spit, they saw two guys in Mustang suits walking back to their car on the other side of the harbor.

The Frys gave them a ride.

Homer Harbormaster Steve Dean said boat owners should check their boats in the harbor often during the winter months as ice and snow can build up quickly on deck.

Boaters also should pay close attention to parts like bilge pumps that may break when they thaw when the weather turns warmer, he said.

Homeowners were also bit by the recent cold snap.

In Anchor Point, an electrical short from a space heater started a fire that destroyed a greenhouse. That brought a reminder from the Homer Volunteer Fire Department to “use extreme caution when heating with space heaters and to follow all manufacturer recommendations on clearances.”

The fire department reported no fires related to this week’s storms, but Monday night the Anchor Point Volunteer Fire Department battled a shed fire, while strong winds tore at the flames, smoke and sparks.

“It caught part of the house on fire, but we got that put out,” said Bob Craig, Anchor Point station administrator.

In addition, the Anchor Point volunteers received two call-outs for power lines downed by the wind.

“We were urging traffic around the lines,” Craig said.

With frigid temperatures and high fuel prices causing more people to burn wood, Craig stressed the need to make sure chimneys are clean.

“We have (chimney) brushes at Anchor River Tesoro that can be borrowed at any time,” he said.

Brushes also are available at Homer Volunteer Fire Department. Anyone wanting to borrow them can stop by the fire station between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Worried about water pipes freezing? If the pipes are made of plastic, they can’t be thawed in the conventional way, according to Steve Eayers of Eayers Plumbing.

“The best thing to do is put heat in the building. It’s a matter of heat and insulation,” he said.

Eayers cautioned strongly about the use of heat tapes.

“What happens is that people start using heat tapes and most of that is not safe. Heat tape causes a lot of fire. They have a potential to short out,” he said.

The use of temporary heaters also drew warnings from Eayers.

“They tip over onto something or are too close to combustible material,” Eayers said. “You better be aware of what you’re doing. You can burn the place down. Space heaters and heat tapes have created a lot of fires.”

Especially susceptible to winter’s cold, stormy days are Homer’s four-footed residents.

“Every year we see pets that come to the shelter suffering from the cold,” said Sherry Bess, animal control officer. “Cats that have been abandoned or wandered too far from home are particularly vulnerable. We see frostbitten ears, noses and paw pads.”

Cats and their canine counterparts that are old, arthritic, or short-haired need the warmth of being indoors. Also, as much as Fido may beg for a ride in the open bed of a pickup, the wind chill factor makes it a bad idea.

Doghouses offer shelter, but ones that are too big let the heat out and the cold in. Blankets are not the best choice for keeping a canine cozy outdoors because the bedding can get wet and freeze. Straw is a better option, Bess said.

Don’t count on snow to provide your pet with the necessary water, as Fido or Fifi’s need for food and water increases during the winter.

And antifreeze might keep a vehicle running when the mercury heads south, but remember that it is deadly for dogs and cats. Dispose of it immediately.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.