Washington State in Crisis
We had a double dose of wind storms this week. The baby storm on Tuesday night knocked out power, but the flooding was worse. The daddy storm on Thursday night did to Washington what SF did to the Seahawks. One person drowned from the rain when her basement flooded and she couldn't get out. A dozen more were killed by falling trees.
I have six tall evergreens in my back yard. I do not know how they managed to stay up through some of the gusts, but they and my fence survived vertical. Driving required numerous maneuvers around fallen trees, the most I've seen since the 1993 storm.
Much of Washington is without power still. Drove to and from work though totally dark streets, including traffic lights. No power anywhere. Buildings loomed like a post-disaster sentinels in the darkness. Only car lights broke the gloom, with strobes of light bouncing shadows against the walls. A small portion of downtown Shelton had power and stood out like a beacon of hope. The single gas station and pizza place had lineups onto the street.
My state office building in Olympia strangely had power, but the street in front of it did not. People were very gracious going home in a five lane to two merge, even giving the right side traffic the opportunity to turn left. Very slow going.
I live in a community with underground power direct from a substation. So, 20 seconds of lost power for switching was the sum of the storm. Many of my co-workers are facing up to Christmas without power and came to work to get warm. A fitness club with power had a sudden boom in membership, not for the exercise equipment, but for the showers.
The pattern continues. The snow storm that hit last month is expected to come back tonight. We just aren't having any fun this winter, which officially hasn't even started yet.
I have six tall evergreens in my back yard. I do not know how they managed to stay up through some of the gusts, but they and my fence survived vertical. Driving required numerous maneuvers around fallen trees, the most I've seen since the 1993 storm.
Much of Washington is without power still. Drove to and from work though totally dark streets, including traffic lights. No power anywhere. Buildings loomed like a post-disaster sentinels in the darkness. Only car lights broke the gloom, with strobes of light bouncing shadows against the walls. A small portion of downtown Shelton had power and stood out like a beacon of hope. The single gas station and pizza place had lineups onto the street.
My state office building in Olympia strangely had power, but the street in front of it did not. People were very gracious going home in a five lane to two merge, even giving the right side traffic the opportunity to turn left. Very slow going.
I live in a community with underground power direct from a substation. So, 20 seconds of lost power for switching was the sum of the storm. Many of my co-workers are facing up to Christmas without power and came to work to get warm. A fitness club with power had a sudden boom in membership, not for the exercise equipment, but for the showers.
The pattern continues. The snow storm that hit last month is expected to come back tonight. We just aren't having any fun this winter, which officially hasn't even started yet.
posted by John | 7:38 AM
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