The winds blew and the power shut down

Published 10:51 am Thursday, December 11, 2008

By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald

Cold and dark.

That defined the uncomfortable existence of many Plateau residents who found themselves without power following a blast of winter air that swept through the region late last week.

The effects were still being felt days later.

Plateau folks certainly weren't alone in their discomfort. The icy weather front that moved through the Pacific Northwest during Friday's early-morning hours ultimately left an estimated 1.5 million without power. The gusty winds battered homes and businesses in western Washington and Oregon.

Life for many came to a standstill upon awakening Friday morning. Power outages gave many an unplanned day off work and students were told to stay home.

Meanwhile, crews from a variety of power providers hit the road and began the laborious task of restoring power.

As power crews worked the lines, firefighters and emergency medical crews dealt with a variety of related incidents. They were kept busy responding to everything from minor bumps and bruises to fires started by homeowners attempting to keep warm. A dangerous consequence of the power outage came in the form of carbon monoxide poisoning, stemming from people running generators in unvented areas or attempting to cook indoors with outdoor equipment.

The Plateau appeared to fare well in the medical department.

On the Plateau, parts of Bonney Lake were up and running late Friday afternoon, making restaurants popular destinations for those without a way to cook a meal - or enough light to find their kitchen.

Much of Enumclaw and Buckley had power restored by early Saturday evening.

But pockets remained where residents remained in the dark through Sunday and into Monday. An unincorporated area between Bonney Lake and Mundy Loss Road received power about 4 a.m. Monday.

But others remained powerless. Still down Monday morning were areas north of Enumclaw and south of Buckley, along with a small pocket of neighbors in the heart of Buckley.

Most local schools welcomed students Monday morning, but White River High remained closed. Also closed were the Muckleshoot Tribal School and two elementary schools in the Sumner district (Bonney Lake and Emerald Hills). Neighboring districts like Tahoma and Kent were completely closed and Auburn had isolated closures.

Officials in Enumclaw and Buckley reported no serious problems.

Chris Searcy, director of Enumclaw's Department of Public Works, said employees put in a bit of overtime Thursday night and Friday morning shuttling generators where needed to keep municipal sewer and water systems operating as normal.

There were a few uprooted trees around town, he added, but none that crashed onto power lines, as was the case in many places.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.