November Wind Storm
Tuesday, Nov. 20 – 1 a.m.
Severe winds from this evening's bomb cyclone ripped through western Washington, causing a mass outage event throughout most of our service area, with the biggest impact in King County. As of 1 a.m. we have 474,032 customers out of power. We anticipate a multiple day outage and encourage customers to make alternate plans as we work to assess the situation and restore power.
We are hearing reports of extensive numbers of downed lines and are urging our customers to never touch or go within 30 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Field crews are also seeing many fallen trees, causing blocked roads and restricting access.
Our Emergency Coordination Center and local storm bases are open to support restoration efforts. As the winds calm down, we will start sending crews back out as it becomes safe to do so. Once we have daylight, we will also deploy helicopters to gather more information for our response.
Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: getting a look at what’s been done to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. The process takes time, especially with the extent of the damage. We have brought in additional crews from outside of the area to help with restoration efforts.
We are aware of technical issues related to our outage map and have resolved them. Thank you for your patience. Outages that have been reported are being received into the system.
Safety first
- Never touch downed power lines because they might be energized. Stay at least 35 feet away from any downed line and call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.
- Do not use charcoal or a gas grill to cook indoors.
Never use a natural gas range for heating, or charcoal as an indoor heating source.
This can cause a buildup of poisonous carbon monoxide gas.
- If you choose to use a portable home generator, read the manufacturer’s instructions for the safe operation of the generator.
Do not operate generators indoors or in enclosed spaces to avoid the buildup of carbon monoxide.
- If you’re using portable heaters, keep them away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials
- Always use flashlights instead of candles.
If you are without power, remember:
- Never use a natural gas range for heating, or charcoal as an indoor heating or cooking source.
- If you’re using portable heaters, keep them away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials.
- Always use flashlights instead of candles.
Visit PSE on
Flickr for images of storm
damage and repairs.
www.seattletimes.com
