Bomb cyclone forces Mercer Island grocery store to toss food

Grocery stores on Mercer Island, including QFC, have been forced to discard perishable items after days without power caused by a bomb cyclone that hit Tuesday night

Items like produce, dairy, meat and eggs have become unavailable as refrigeration systems remain dark.

Mercer Island is now entering its third day without power, with over 166,000 Puget Sound Energy customers still impacted region-wide. PSE crews are working around the clock, but the utility warns outages may persist for several more days. As of 6 a.m. Friday, PSE has restored power to an estimated 120,000 customers.

In a letter to customers Thursday, PSE said, "We understand it can be frustrating waking up to continued power outages in the cold."

PSE customers can get basic support, including Wi-Fi for charging small devices, and coffee, light snacks and information from PSE staff at two locations on Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

  • Maple Valley Fred Meyer - located at Maple Valley Town Square26520 Maple Valley Black Diamond Road S.E., Maple Valley
  • Kent Fred Meyer10201 S.E. 240th St., Kent

PSE is also setting up a warming shelter in Issaquah:

  • Issaquah Senior Center75 N.E. Creek Way, Issaquah

Officials urge the community to stay safe, avoid downed power lines and check on neighbors. 

For more updates, visit the PSE outage map.

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