The day the big winds blew
Published 4:12 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009
By The Courier-Herald staff
By the time last week's wind storm quieted, everyone had a story to tell. Some spent days in the dark, waiting for work crews to restore power; others were climbing on rooftops, putting down tarps where shingles used to be; and some were wondering how to get rid of the trees that had toppled over in their yards.
Those who escaped relatively unscathed could only marvel at the power exhibited by the winds that whipped the Plateau - and much of the Puget Sound region - on Dec. 4.
Oldtimers have gone on record, claiming last week's storm, which brought winds that topped out at 80 miles per hour in Enumclaw and Buckley, didn't quite measure up to other storms of the past two decades. But the winds that blew through the night and most of the day left plenty of damage in their wake.
By 10 a.m. Thursday, Enumclaw Mayor John Wise had declared a state of emergency, putting a carefully drafted action plan into effect. The Enumclaw Fire/District 28 station was established as an Emergency Occupation Center and Fire Chief Joe Kolisch was named incident commander. Wise and city department heads were kept abreast of every developing situation.
A state of emergency is rare for Enumclaw, and can be called "when your resources are maxed," Wise said. By early Thursday, it was clear Enumclaw's roster of city employees could not handle all the calls for help. Trees were falling, power lines were being dragged down and homes were getting colder.
By the time the winds subsided, Wise said, at least 400 Enumclaw homes had suffered roof damage and many had more extensive structural damage. That estimate came Saturday morning, before Wise and a work party of city employees set out to clear streets and sidewalks, and was tentative at best, the mayor said.
When it became obvious damage would be heavy, Enumclaw called on the resources of the King County Striker Force, Wise said. Responding were four fire trucks and a crew of approximately a dozen, offering support for local firefighters who were stretched to the limit.
Now that the winds have ceased, it's time for clean-up and an estimate of damages. Private citizens will be working with insurance agents, Puget Sound Energy crews continue the process of getting trees off power lines and the city will soon be tallying up its costs. Wise said the city will be working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recoup some of its costs.
