With power out to more than 100,000, officials urge neighbors to help neighbors

Emergency officials on Thursday urged Spokane County residents to help those around them two days after a devastating windstorm.

“The rest of the month needs to be about neighbors helping neighbors,” Spokane Mayor David Condon said Thursday afternoon. “We’re asking people to check on your neighbors. Offer food, water, shelter and other assistance as you are able to do.”

Road, power and maintenance crews from throughout the county were working Thursday to repair infrastructure around schools and health care centers first, then moving to residential areas, Condon said. It may be several days before services are restored to a level that allows normal community activities to resume, officials warned.

“Schools are a priority,” said Scott Morris, chief executive at Avista Corp. “But I will just tell you, we will not have schools open by (Friday). Our current goal is to have schools open by Monday morning.”

Spokane Public Schools announced it would cancel classes on Friday for the third day after gusting winds above 70 mph swept through Spokane Tuesday night. At the storm’s height, 180,000 Avista customers lost power, and 14,000 customers of Inland Power saw their lights go out.

Also canceling classes Friday are: Mead School District, East Valley School District, Cheney School District, Medical Lake School District, and St. George’s School. All Central Valley schools will be open Friday with the exception of Bowdish Middle School, Opportunity Elementary and South Pines Elementary. The condition of those three schools will be re-evaluated at 6 a.m. Friday for a final determination on classes.

Five schools in Spokane Public Schools will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide meals, heat, Internet access and outlets for charging devices: Rogers High School, Ferris High School, Salk Middle School, Glover Middle School and Grant Elementary.

Working the lines

Three Avista linemen dangled Thursday from harnesses atop a huge new power pole that had just been put into the ground at Maple Street and Carlisle Avenue.

A huge tree fell into the pole during Tuesday’s windstorm, snapping it in half.

The linemen worked to hang a crossbar and insulators, preparing the pole for the repaired power line.

“Not everybody can do it,” said Eric Rosentrater, electric operations manager for Avista’s Spokane district.

“It takes a very special breed of person to do what these guys do,” he said.

The job is physically demanding, and during a storm emergency like the one this week, it also requires long hours.

Workers spent the first 36 hours on the job after Tuesday’s storm arrived. After an eight-hour break, they are now doing 16-hour shifts.

Avista currently has 43 crews with five workers each from its own forces, which are being aided by another 25 crews from outside the area.

Rosentrater said a dozen crews were expected to arrive Thursday night from Northern California.

So far, the utility has not run out of supplies such as wire and poles, but some of its inventory had to be shored up with additional purchases and help from other utilities, he said.

“Right now, our stocking levels are adequate,” he said.

The job site in an alley between Carlisle and Jackson avenues just east of Maple was one of several repairs needed along that stretch of line before power could be restored to the surrounding area.

In all cases, crews have to make sure each break or other damage is fixed before the lights can come back on.

“We lost a significant number of poles,” Rosentrater said. Replacing those is a major undertaking involving safety, logistics, supplies and scheduling, he explained.

With so many damaged spots on each line, the work is laborious and time-consuming, Rosentrater said.

That affects the rate of progress.

Home generators pose an additional risk if not properly installed. Power from them can back feed into the line, creating an electrocution risk for line workers, who are taught to watch out for the problem and get those power sources shut down before doing any work.

Rosentrater recommended plugging appliances directly into the generator and not connecting it to the home’s power lines.

With 22 years on the job, Rosentrater spent about 14 years as a tree trimmer, lineman apprentice and journeyman lineman, so he knows the job well. His father worked for Grant County Public Utility District as a lineman.

Morris, of Avista, and Chad Jensen, CEO of Inland Power, warned residents against approaching downed lines, even ones that have been on the ground for several days. Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer echoed that warning.

“Don’t become complacent,” Schaeffer said. “Please stay vigilant. Make sure you treat all lines as energized lines.”

Morris said Avista crews, aided by workers from the Bonneville Power Administration and expecting additional reinforcements from Nevada and San Francisco on Friday morning, had restored power to roughly 80,000 customers as of Thursday afternoon. Jensen said they’d restored power to roughly 7,000 customers and gave Sunday evening as the planned date to have all Inland Power customers back online.

Officials urged residents to remain patient as the five-day process of restoring essential services continues into the weekend.

“Invite your neighbors over for a meal,” Condon said. “Or to use the shower, or to watch the news.”

“We’re all fortunate to live in a community that is ready and willing to help,” he said.

Burglaries increase

Not everyone has embraced the “help your neighbor” message, however. Spokane police reported an uptick in burglaries in the day following the storm, with 29 residential, commercial and garage burglaries reported from 4 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday morning.

That’s compared to 37 total burglaries for the week of Nov. 8 to Nov. 14, according to department crime reports.

Many reported burglaries were in areas without power. Homeowners and businesses reported smashed windows and doors pried open, with burglars taking electronics, copper wire and other valuables.

One house on North Walnut Street was hit Tuesday and Wednesday night, according to police reports. A store in the 2000 block of North Division Street reported burglars stole costume jewelry, apparently mistaking it for valuable jewelry.

Brian Arvish, the owner of Native Wood Tree Care, said his $33,000 wood chipper was stolen Tuesday night from a yard near Gonzaga Preparatory School as he was helping to remove trees from a customer’s yard.

He reported the theft to police and is hopeful the chipper will be recovered.

“It’s a pretty big, conspicuous piece of equipment,” he said.

Arvish has been flooded with more than 100 calls since the storm hit and said he hasn’t been able to check all of his messages.

“It’s just really sad and disheartening that a wind event takes place like this and … people are out there stealing tools,” he said. “We’re trying to do our part, you know?”

Deputy Mark Gregory, a spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said residential burglaries were down following the windstorm in areas the sheriff’s office serves, but he cautioned against reading too much into those numbers. He knew of at least one incident in which people entering a damaged home in the county were arrested, and he urged neighbors to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.

“We’ve put the word out to deputies to be looking for that type of activity,” Gregory said. “We know there are definitely some people out there that will be trying to take advantage of this catastrophic event.”

Collisions abound

Also keeping police busy: a wave of car crashes across Spokane County.

People have reported 93 collisions to Spokane police from 3 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday morning, and officers responded to about 20, Spokane police Cpl. Jordan Ferguson said. In a typical day, police respond to fewer than 10 collisions, he said.

Many are caused by drivers who are in a rush or frustrated because normal routes are blocked, he said. People failing to yield at intersections where power is out also has been a problem.

“They’re not used to following the rules,” he said.

No crashes have caused serious injuries, Ferguson said.

“The crashes are using up a lot of resources,” he said. If officers weren’t busy with collisions, they could be responding to burglaries and other reported crimes, Ferguson said.

Intersections where lights are out should be treated as four-way stops, and drivers should slow down and expect trips to take longer than usual.

“If you’re driving home at night, be very courteous,” Gregory said. “If in doubt, yield.”

Grocers reopen

Grocery stores that lost power in the storm were starting to reopen Thursday afternoon, as shoppers rushed to stock up on propane, ice, wood and other essentials for surviving without power. The Safeway on East 29th Avenue closed Wednesday following a power loss, but power was back on Thursday morning as staff restocked coolers with items stored in refrigerated trailers outside the store.

“We were able to save most of it,” store manager Jeremy Renken said.

Grocery stores that kept the lights on saw a surge in customers Wednesday. Rachel Kaluza, assistant manager of the Rosauers store in Browne’s Addition, said Thursday her store had been about twice as busy as usual. Like other store managers, she’s gearing up for a big weekend as customers stock up on food for Thanksgiving.

“We think it will be a little busier than normal, but we’re staffed for that already,” she said.

Trees and branches

County staff are urging patience as they process long lines of trucks and trailers carrying yard waste at transfer stations.

“This is baptism by fire,” said Bill Wedlake, Spokane County solid waste manager, as residents hauled freshly cut pine onto the floor of loading bays at the Valley Transfer Station on Thursday.

Wedlake called Tuesday’s windstorm the largest test of the county’s ownership of the solid waste system “by far.” Almost a year ago, the county took ownership of the transfer stations from the city of Spokane.

The region’s three transfer stations will accept self-delivered yard waste for free through Sunday. The city will also accept yard waste for free at the North Side landfill.

The city will extend curbside yard waste cleanup through Dec. 18.

A line of pickup trucks and other vehicles hauling trailers of branches that once littered the lawns and streets of Spokane County snaked out of the facility on Sullivan Road on Thursday. Brothers Chad and Troy Dokken were hauling their second load of lumber from their mother’s home in Spokane Valley.

“This is the busiest it’s been so far,” said Chad Dokken, who anticipated making a total of five or six trips to drop off all the fallen trees that damaged his mom’s roof.

“They’re doing a great job here,” Troy Dokken said.

Wedlake stressed that county equipment can only handle yard refuse less than 6 feet long and 3 inches in diameter.

“We’re not trying to be mean,” he said. “We just can’t handle it.”

Wedlake also advised arriving at a location well before closing time, because the gates have to close to allow workers to move the wood out of the loading bays before workers can go home.

“We don’t want you to wait in line only to have the gates close on you,” Wedlake said. “We’ve got to get things buttoned up here.”

Only clean tree and yard waste will be accepted through the program. Shingles or building materials will not be accepted.

Miners stranded

The night shift at the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, Idaho, was stuck underground when the mine lost power during Tuesday’s windstorm.

About 30 miners and other workers were affected by the power outage, said Luke Russell, a vice president at Hecla Mining Co., owner of the underground silver mine.

The employees waited at their workstations until the electricity came back on about 1 a.m. and the mine’s hoist was operational again.

In the event of an extended power outage, a generator would have been used to run the hoist, Russell said.

The Lucky Friday Mine remained closed through the Thursday day shift, Russell said. The company was waiting for assurance from Avista Utilities of a reliable power supply, he said. Employees will be paid for the lost work time.

Roofers swamped

Roofing contractors have been deluged with phone calls about wind damage.

“I had 170 calls yesterday,” said Steve Crump, the owner of Crump Roofing, which does business in North Idaho and Spokane. “I’ve been in the roofing business for 30 years. That’s the most I’ve ever had.”

Crump was scrambling to return the calls so his voicemail wouldn’t fill up and stop taking messages.

Property owners are trying to get estimates for repairs so they can submit insurance claims, Crump said. Most were dealing with shingles that blew off during the high winds. Some of the roofs he looked at had minor damage; others had lost half their shingles.

Crump had a word of advice Thursday for property owners: Patience.

“All of the roofing companies are totally overwhelmed right now,” he said.

Boats sink

at Silver Beach

At the Silver Beach Marina on Lake Coeur d’Alene, one boat owner recounted how the wind and waves tossed the boats around.

Frank, who didn’t want to give his last name, arrived at the marina about 6 p.m. Tuesday, hoping to prevent the storm from damaging his 35-foot cabin cruiser.

A friend who also has a boat there arrived shortly afterward. Waves were crashing over the docks. One of the anchors for an outer dock had shifted, allowing boats to bash into each other. The friends did what they could to prevent damage.

“While this was happening, my son called to tell me that the pool was on my shop roof and the fence was blowing down,” he said.

Two boats sank, but his cabin cruiser was able to ride out the storm.

CdA parks report

Coeur d’Alene city parks lost about 20 trees in Tuesday’s wild winds – not that many, considering the thousands that fell across the region.

“It could have been much more significant,” city parks Superintendent Bill Greenwood said Thursday.

Three big ones – a Douglas fir, a spruce and a ponderosa pine – came down in City Park near downtown.

Low shelter turnout

By late Thursday afternoon, the Red Cross shelter at Coeur d’Alene Bible Church had no takers.

However, “we’re thinking that as the evening gets cooler, we’ll see some people,” volunteer Tina Piaskowski said.

The shelter in the church’s gym can house up to 75 people. It’s also serving dinner for people who can cope without electricity but want a chance to enjoy a hot meal, Piaskowski said.

Kootenai Humane Society in Hayden was ready to provide housing for pets of people seeking shelter from the Red Cross.

Staff writers Kip Hill, Mike Prager Rachel Alexander, Becky Kramer, Scott Maben and Nina Culver contributed to this report.