Power outages may linger
Flooding next threat as West Side thaws
SEATTLE – A storm that brought snow, ice and powerful winds left a mess of fallen trees and power lines Friday as tens of thousands of West Side residents already without power faced the prospect of a cold, dark weekend and flooding became a top regionwide concern.
While temperatures warmed and the icy, snowy conditions abated in Western Washington and Oregon, slick roads and fast-melting snow brought challenges for road workers, city officials and rescue crews. The region also faces more rain even as swelling rivers led to the worst flooding some Oregon counties have seen in more than a decade.
“It’s definitely a trial we get to endure,” said Jeanette Donigan, whose Turner, Ore., home was surrounded by floodwater, leaving her and her family to seek shelter nearby. “But earthly possessions can be replaced, as long as we got our children to higher ground.”
On Mount Rainier, a blizzard kept rescuers from continuing a search Friday for two campers and two climbers missing in the storm since early this week.
Interstate 5 was briefly closed Friday morning in both directions near Centralia, Wash., so crews could remove fallen power lines. Amtrak trains weren’t running Friday between Seattle and Portland, because of trees and other debris that fell on the tracks.
Northbound lanes of the interstate in Everett were closed much of the morning following a tractor-trailer accident. Around midday, Washington State Patrol troopers closed both Tacoma Narrows bridges because of large ice chunks falling onto the bridge deck.
Puget Sound Energy used three helicopters Friday to check its transmission lines as crews repaired damage from Thursday’s ice storm. There were still about 240,000 without power late Friday afternoon, including 230,000 PSE customers, mostly around Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia. New outages were still being reported Friday. The utility said it could take the weekend or later to get the power back on.
In the wake of a powerful snowstorm, a large branch had fallen on transmission lines running to a substation in Olympia, pulling down a power pole at the same time.
Apprentice linesman Tyler Fairchild, of Tacoma, described the work facing the crew. Then he added, “We have a long way to go.”
Gov. Chris Gregoire stopped by to thank the crew – and deliver peanut butter cookies. She called the days of stormy weather a disaster, and added, “It’s a constant reminder of who’s in charge. Mother Nature is in charge, she gives us a wake-up call every once in a while. This is one of those.”
Sea-Tac Airport was open Friday, and airlines were trying to accommodate passengers whose flights were canceled Thursday. The largest carrier at the airport, Alaska Airlines, canceled 50 of its 120 daily departures Friday. On Thursday, Alaska and sister airline Horizon canceled 310 flights to and from Seattle, affecting 29,000 passengers.