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Windstorm knocks out for to 400k+ in WA
A powerful windstorm hit western Washington overnight, knocking out power to as many as 400,000 homes, with many still waiting for electricity to be fully restored.
WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. - A powerful windstorm hit western Washington overnight, knocking out power to as many 400,000 properties across the region.
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) said Island County was one of the hardest hit areas it serves. This includes almost all of Whidbey Island, as residents waited for their electricity to be fully restored.
What they're saying:
"I was woken up in the middle of the night by what sounded like a locomotive train hitting the house," said Melissa Koch, a Whidbey Island resident who lost power during the windstorm.
"I heard the pop when the electricity went out," said Holly Koteen-Soule, a Whidbey Island resident who lost power during the windstorm.
PSE said at least 25,000 customers on the island lost power, especially on the south end. At the peak of the storm, wind gusts reached as high as 71 miles per hour for Whidbey.
"It’s a long, narrow island. So, what’s coming off the Olympics and coming inland passes by us. And if you drive around the roads, the roads all look the same. They’re just a little road with trees on both sides," said Holly and her husband, Michael Soule.
By the numbers:
PSE said the high winds caused four substations and eight transmission lines to go offline. As of Wednesday afternoon, at least two transmission lines were restored, an improvement from eight.
Even with the significant amount of damage, some neighbors said the weather conditions were standard for this time of year.
"We’re used to it here. We live on an island, and the winds circle around, and the storms come through," said Koteen-Soule.
Some neighbors, like Koch, said they were concerned about the strength of this latest round of winds.
"The winds coming in from the west that are unusual and these really, really strong gusts are becoming more common," said Koch.
What's next:
PSE officials said crews are working overnight and getting help from other contractors to restore power. They’re also using helicopter patrols to assess the damage.
As crews work to turn the lights back on, the people of Whidbey Island are doing what they normally do in these situations: turn on their generators, hit the town for their essential needs, and wait it out.
"We’re really fortunate. We have a gas stove so we can stay warm, and we have a gas range so we can cook still and heat water up and that," said Soule. "We try and make sure that the others in our little community [that] everybody is taken care of."
PSE has alerts and restoration updates listed on the advisory page of its website.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Franque Thompson.