Power outages still impacting South King County after weekend wind storm



UPDATE: There are several school delays and closures Monday morning due to the weekend windstorm. Click here for updates.

RENTON, Wash. - - Thousands in South King County were still without power tonight as crews work to restore it. Meanwhile people are trying to cope with the impact of this morning’s wind storm and the chilly night ahead of us.

Thousands of homes and businesses were without power for hours Sunday after winds of up to 60 miles per hour blew across South King County. Now, people are trying to adjust until the electricity comes back on.

“We decided we’re going to need to get a generator because they’re just too many things…my daughter does online school, horses need water, refrigerator and freezer and on and on and on,” said Ruxton Doubt, who lives in Kent.

Doubt says the power is still out at his home in Kent so he decided to go and find someplace nearby with the lights on to keep his spirits up.

“It’s lit up, LA Fitness. I’m not going to sit at home. I hope it’s open. It’s all lit up, sauna, hot tub. I’m going to leave you guys out in the cold,” Doubt said jokingly.

Puget Sound Energy also says it could take a few more days to get everyone’s power restored.

“Unfortunately some of the areas where the damages have occurred are hard to get to. So even getting to the site is proving to be challenging,” said Andrew Padula with Puget Sound Energy.

Padula says they’ve used a helicopter to get to power lines in some of the more remote areas and says several power poles will have to be replaced. And as temperatures drop throughout the night, he also recommends that people use flashlights and not candles to prevent accidental fire.

“We understand that it’s going to be difficult and we’re going to work as quickly and safely to get that power back on,” Padula said.

A spokesperson for Seattle City Light says it continues to work to restore power for its customers after fallen trees destroyed power lines and poles.

PSE and Seattle City Light both suggest that customers continue to check the websites for the latest information about the power outages and emergency information.