South Whidbey among hardest hit by storm, PSE says

Whidbey Island was among the three areas hit hardest by the windstorm that ravaged Western Washington on Tuesday and some customers may be without power for days, Puget Sound Energy announced this morning. In a news release, the utility said Whidbey saw "significant" damage across the island but "especially the southern section." Efforts are currently focused on accessing the level of damage and needed repairs.

November 18, 2015 12:25 pm
A Freeland resident walks toward a downed tree on Fish Road during Tuesday's windstorm. About 220
A Freeland resident walks toward a downed tree on Fish Road during Tuesday's windstorm. About 220

Whidbey Island was among the three areas hit hardest by the windstorm that ravaged Western Washington on Tuesday and some customers may be without power for days, Puget Sound Energy announced this morning.

In a news release, the utility said Whidbey saw “significant” damage across the island but “especially the southern section.” Efforts are currently focused on accessing the level of damage and needed repairs.

“With debris on roadways and downed trees, there are problems getting vehicles and equipment into places,” the release said. “This will increase how long it will take to restore certain neighborhoods. Our tree trimming crews are now working to clear roads and work areas.”

The other two hardest hit areas were King and Kitsap counties; northern King county is especially bad with 54,000 customers without power — the most in any single area.

As of 8 a.m., there are about 600 outage locations across the region and roughly 100,000 customers without power. At the peak of the storm Tuesday night, 220,000 customers were without power.

“With so much widespread damage, some customers may be without power for days,” the release said.

The storm impacted transmission and distribution systems, including some of the utility’s substations. Crews worked through the night and, as of 8:30 a.m., eight of the 33 damaged transmission lines had been repaired and 24 of the 32 impacted substations re-energized.

Puget Sound Energy has tasked 32 additional crew from other areas to assist its workers in the restoration effort.

The power company said it follows a set process after storms: First it assesses damage, then it prioritizes the response and dispatch of crews, and after restoring power to critical services, such as hospitals, it focuses on repairs that restore power to the greatest number of customers.

“It can be frustrating not to see crews working in neighborhoods,” the release said. “In most cases, crews are working on equipment that needs to be repaired before power can be restored to homes and businesses. Once those repairs are made (to transmission lines, circuits, substations, etc.), crews can move into individual neighborhoods and communities.”

The utility reminded people to always assume downed power lines are energized and to stay away. Call 888-225-5773 or 9-1-1 to report them.