Wide regions of Renton have no power after a “bomb cyclone” storm system struck on Tuesday, Nov. 19, damaging property, blocking roadways and leaving a King County woman dead.
According to Puget Sound Energy, as of 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, the storm left 416,488 PSE customers without power.
Puget Sound Energy covers King County, excluding Seattle, and all of Kitsap, Skagit, Thurston and Whatcom counties, in addition to parts of Pierce County and Island County.
“The windstorm caused extensive damage to our system late afternoon, yesterday, and into last night,” according to PSE. “Our focus [Nov. 20] is on critical infrastructure and public safety, as [Puget Sound Energy] has been fielding many 911 calls for safety [and] emergency needs.”
Puget Sound Energy anticipates multi-day outages in areas.
According to the City of Renton, downed power lines and trees resulted in roadway blockages, damages to structures, and vehicles.
Falling power lines trapped a driver within a vehicle at Oakesdale Avenue Southwest and Southwest 16th Street at approximately 9:25 p.m. after collapsing and entangling occupied vehicles and an unoccupied metro minibus. The Renton Police Department, Public Works Department, and Puget Sound Energy responded to the scene. As of 11:07 a.m. Nov. 20, crews continued to work at the scene, clearing a tree from the bridge.
Downed power lines and trees additionally resulted in roadway and lane blockages into Nov. 20 on 164th Avenue Southeast between Southeast 128th Street and State Route 900; Lind Avenue Southwest, south of Southwest 16th Street Road; Southeast 168th Street at approximately 119th Avenue Southeast; and to the parking lot of the Renton Community Center.
As of 7:06 a.m. Nov. 20, Public Works crews have dispatched to clear debris from roadways and trees from main and secondary arterials. Crews plan to address neighborhoods after working on primary roadways, according to the City of Renton.
Outages have additionally affected traffic lights at intersections throughout Renton, resulting in traffic backups and delays.
The Renton Regional Fire Authority received “over a dozen” reports of trees falling into structures without injuries in Renton, according to an email from Ashlinn Phipps, public information officer for the department.
The Renton Regional Fire Authority additionally responded to three incidents of falling trees striking individuals, including a report of an individual trapped beneath a 40-foot pine tree. Personnel from the Renton Regional Fire Authority’s Station 11 and King County extricated the individual from beneath the tree and transported them to a medical center, according to Phipps.
“Early numbers this morning showed calls for service exceeding 250-plus,” Phipps’ email stated. “The majority of calls were non-emergent such as fallen trees or wires down.”
According to an email from Laura Pettitt, director of communications for the City of Renton, the city have opened the Renton Community Center as a warming location, with Wi-Fi available for residents experiencing power outages.
Pettitt additionally recommended public locations including park facilities, fire stations, and libraries for access to outlets for charging medical devices, cellphones, and devices.
“We are looking [for] other potential support for charging medical devices,” Pettitt stated.
The Renton Regional Fire Authority recommended residents without power follow precautions to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning including utilizing generators, gas and charcoal appliances, and vehicles for charging devices outside of the home.
“Listen to advice from local officials, and if there is a power failure, light your home safely,” Phipps stated.
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