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About 15,000 homes in Sammamish lost power, and shouldn’t expect to get it back by dinner time today.
The massive outages have prompted the city to open City Hall as a daytime warming shelter and a place to charge cell phones until midnight. It will reopen at 7 a.m.
Puget Sound Engergy hasn’t come up with a good estimate to when the power is going to be restored by, because it still hasn’t determined what caused the outages, said Mayor Tom Odell.
“This could be a replay of what happened in 2006 when we were out for several days,” he said.
While the main arterials in Sammamish, including 228th and Sahalee Way, are being regularly plowed, the city decided to close Snake Hill Road, because it’s both dangerously slick and because of some downed power lines.
The city is asking that if people see a downed powerline to stay away and to call 911 to report it.
The battery backup at the intersection outside Safeway is out, and the city is working hard to replace it. Both grocery stores are open on backup power, as well as ACE Hardware, which at this time can only receive cash payment.
Sammamish’s water district is asking that people do their best to conserve water, as its systems are now running on backup generators.
The ice is so thick on the areas many trees, that its begun to block cell phone coverage, Odell said, who said his landlines are also on the fritz.
In a 12-hour span, Eastside Fire & Rescue reported on its Twitter page that it had responded to 89 emergencies since 1:10 a.m.
Heavy, wet snow on tree branches has also resulted in thousands of power outages, including brown-outs, in Sammamish.
As of 3 p.m., PSE reported 14,801 Sammamish residents and 18,313 Issaquah residents were without power.
Those in need of a place to stay warm can head to Fire Station #83 at 3425 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road where they are also hosting a warming shelter.
PSE says that 200,000 people across western Washington don’t have power. Officials aren’t sure how long it will take to repair some of the damaged lines, but indicated some areas could take up to three to four days. To report an outage call Puget Sound Engery at 1-888-225-5773.
All schools, including those in the Lake Washington School District, Issaquah School District and Eastside Catholic are closed today.
Sammamish provides a snow and ice route map for those who have to take to the roads. To report a road emergency, call Public Works at 425-952-2115 or 206-296-8100 after normal business hours.
The National Weather Service forecast for the remainder of the day calls for a chance of rain and snow between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. One to 2-inches of snow accumulation is possible before 10 p.m., then it’s likely to switch to rain as the snow level rises to 900 feet.
Weather is supposed to calm over the next two days, switching to highs of 45 on Friday and Saturday.
Sammamish City Hall is open today, but with a reduced staff. Call 425-295-0555 ahead of time to make sure the service you need is available.
