N. Idahoans Ready For Worst As Another Storm Batters Area
Larry Leach lashed his barbecue grill securely to his deck. He could only hope no trees would fall on his house.
Dora Arnold filled buckets full of water and put them aside for safekeeping.
She set out the household flashlights, making sure they would be easy to find in a blackout.
Their worst fears weren’t realized.
A storm that battered the Oregon and Washington coasts hit North Idaho in somewhat gentler form Tuesday night.
But workers still spent much of the night removing fallen trees from roads and repairing downed power lines.
Power outages were reported throughout the region as trees fell into electrical lines under wind gusts of more than 56 mph.
Washington Water Power Co. reported 2,000 customers were without power in Coeur d’Alene, Spirit Lake and Blanchard at 10 p.m.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning just before 10 p.m., and winds were forecast to subside this morning.
It was the third windstorm to strike the region in the past two weeks.
This time, a powerful low pressure center moved north along the Oregon and Washington coasts before turning inland into southern British Columbia.
Mother Nature gave forecasters plenty of warning on Monday of the roaring wind and rain that came with it.
The lowest air pressure reading for the month of December was recorded in Spokane at mid-afternoon Tuesday at 28.99 inches on the barometer.
Some people didn’t believe the forecast when the air remained relatively calm at nightfall, but by 8:30 p.m., gusts were peaking at 40 mph.
By the time the winds became dangerous late Tuesday night, most Idahoans were nodding off.
“Just in time for us all to go to bed, right? Not for us,” chuckled Kootenai Electric Cooperative spokeswoman Catherine Parochetti.
Kootenai Electric and Washington Water Power had repair crews on standby throughout the night.
Temperatures which hovered in the upper 30s all day shot up after dark to the low-50s by 9 p.m., and winds gusted to 35 mph at the Coeur d’Alene Airport weather station.
A U-Haul trailer blew into the middle of Apple Way in Coeur d’Alene. One person took advantage of a fallen tree, turning it into firewood with a chainsaw before police arrived.
Fire crews sped to downed power lines on state Highway 41 near Spirit Lake and on Rimrock Road near Hayden Lake.
“We have crews out working now, but we don’t expect to have power back on to them until early morning,” said Parochetti.
Kootenai Electric will be keeping its customers updated about power outages via radio stations KVNI, KXLY and KGA.
Before the storm hit, residents spent the day stocking up on batteries, lanterns and water while lashing down anything that looked like it might learn to fly.
Silver Mountain ski resort shut down Tuesday because of high winds. Early in the morning, gusts over 50 mph at the top of the mountain were reported.
At the Alpine Country Store north of Coeur d’Alene, employees hunkered down with a backup lantern and sleeping bag for the long night.
Kootenai County Disaster Services had their group of amateur radio operators ready to spring into action should wide spread power outages knock out communication lines.
At the Coeur d’Alene RV Park in Post Falls, trailer owners turned their traveling homes into the coming wind in hopes they wouldn’t be caught broadside by the blast.
Jeff Reid, assistant manager, turned his RV southwest hoping it was the right direction.
“It’s a pure speculation game,” he said. “But I’m prepared to move my trailer completely if I have to.”
At the Gateway Resort in Harrison, owner John Gish tied his larger boats bow-first into the wind. He knows what kind of damage the wind can do.
The last storm to hit his marina filled one boat with water and sunk a 30-foot cabin cruiser. It swept away a tour boat which in turn took part of his dock with it.
“It’s tough but that’s what you put up with,” he said.
, DataTimes