 11/25 Update: Storm Recovery in King County
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week’s windstorm was one of the worst we've seen in our region, and my heart goes out to all of our neighbors and communities who have been impacted. As you can see in the update below, Councilmember Reagan Dunn and I have put together legislation to help our residents respond to the severe storm damage in East and Southeast King County.
Over the past week, my efforts have been focused on daily communication with our US Representative Kim Schrier, our 5th LD State Representatives and Senator, the Mayors of our ten District 3 cities, and Presidents of our Community Associations in Fall City and Snoqualmie Pass to ask how King County can best support their communities.
We have also been receiving daily updates from our Puget Sound Energy (PSE) contact Julien Loh, Local Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, who has shared that PSE has been doing what they can to make sure everyone is taken care of as soon as possible. We have been sharing the updates from PSE as soon as we receive them on our email and social channels.
An example of the damage we saw in Issaquah.
PSE now has over 98% percent of customers back online, but there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure everyone can get through the storm and get back to living their lives. We're very focused on continuing to help the 20K+ residents who remain without power and in some instances without water.
If you know of anyone who needs help cleaning debris, large or small, from their yard, we are working on volunteer teams of Rotary, Kiwanis, Veterans, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Friends of the Trail, and more for all non-dangerous clean up options. Please don't hesitate to reach out at sarah.perry@kingcounty.gov if you need support.
Finally, our team is working to answer every inquiry we receive as soon as possible. Please reach out to our office directly if there is any way we can be of help - see our motion for more support below.
All the best,
Perry and Dunn Sponsor Joint legislation to expedite permits and reimburse some residents for storm-related costs from Bomb Cyclone
Today, my colleague Councilmember Reagan Dunn and I introduced legislation to help residents respond to the severe storm damage in East and Southeast King County resulting from the Nov. 19 bomb cyclone.
The proposal focuses on two significant challenges for residents who suffered the worst of the storm damage. First, the legislation calls for expedited permitting decisions from King County for home, farm and business repairs stemming from the storm. Second, King County is directed to expand its grant program for residents who have incurred out-of-pocket living expenses as a result of extended power outages. These expenses could include fuel for generators, short term hotel charges, food spoilage, dump fees, tree and branch removal and other storm related expenses. The grant program would also help those who may have been uninsured or underinsured for certain storm damage.
“East and Southeast King County residents have suffered for almost a week without power and many have had to clear their own property of storm damage to access their homes or leave their homes for basic needs,” Dunn said. “Helping these residents is a fundamental responsibility of King County government, and these actions will make an immediate difference for those families.”
“There are a number of county residents who are uninsured or underinsured who do not have any way to repair their homes or remove fallen trees,” Perry said. “We need to help these folks make repairs so they can recover from this cyclone and move on with their lives. In addition to our residents, I am particularly concerned with our farms and small businesses in East and Southeast King County who need our help. It's our job to be there for them."
People with any questions, or who need resources, are encouraged to reach out to sarah.perry@kingcounty.gov, or reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov. The legislation will be introduced at Council tomorrow on an expedited basis, where it will be referred to Committee of the Whole for a hearing in early December.
Read the full story here: Perry, Dunn bring legislation to expedite permits, reimburse some residents for storm-related costs from bomb cyclone - King County, Washington
An Update from Puget Sound Energy
Update as of Monday, Nov. 25 – 12:00 PM:
Over the last 24 hours, more than 150 line crews and 70 tree crews worked throughout the day and night to help over 17,000 customers regain power from storm related outages.
We now have 99% of our customers back online since the bomb cyclone hit Western Washington Tuesday afternoon and will continue to work as fast as we can to restore every customer. Being without power is incredibly disruptive and gets harder as time goes by. We know this is so hard for our customers still experiencing an outage—we are working around the clock to restore power to you.
Today, PSE will have a resource hub open today, November 25th, where customers can get support, including charging for small devices, Wi-Fi, beverages, light snacks and information from PSE staff: Tiger Mountain Country Store at 14331 Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast, Issaquah. Hours are: 11:30 PM - 5 PM.
Always remember: Safety first. Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems. Below are some additional resources from PSE:
Warming Centers and Charging Stations
As we experience lower temperatures, we want to make sure that all of our neighbors have the resources they need to stay warm in the cold weather. A list of Warming Centers and/or Charging Stations across King County can be found here: kcemergency.com
Additionally, we will be updating a list of centers that are open across District 3, and you can find that up-to-date list on our Facebook page.
An Update from King County Roads Department
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Road Services: Teams are working hard to clear roads and restore power. Many trees have fallen and tangled with power lines, making some roads impassable.
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Crews on the Ground: Hundreds of crew members are out there, prioritizing roads used by emergency services and near important public safety facilities like hospitals.
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Report Problems: If you see an issue such as a downed sign, signal outage, or blocked road, call the 24/7 Road Helpline at 206-477-8100 or email maint.roads@kingcounty.gov.
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Safety Tips:
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Never cross a road closed with barricades: These are set up for your safety. Always use a detour.
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Avoid downed power lines: Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized.
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Stay updated: Check kingcounty.gov/MyCommute for the latest information on road closures. Traffic cameras are currently offline.
An Update from Comcast
Update as of Monday, Nov. 25:
We’re making significant progress, with 97% of our network that was impacted by power outages in Western Washington now restored. However, we understand that our customers in some communities are still feeling the impact of power loss and storm damage —specifically in parts of Issaquah, Maple Valley, and North Bend — which are still experiencing service disruptions.
We want to assure you that we are prioritizing these areas. Our technical teams are closely monitoring power restoration and are ready to act as soon as we receive safe access to damaged sites. We understand the urgency and will reconnect service as quickly as conditions allow.
In some situations, power may be restored at your home, but your Comcast Services are still not working. This is because we continue to repair additional damaged cable lines, and or the electricity that powers our network has yet to be restored. Please note that the location of a power outage impacting our network may be outside your immediate area.
If your power has been restored but you still do not have Comcast services, you may also want to try restarting or resetting your devices, including wireless gateways, modems, routers, and cable boxes. We understand the frustration and inconvenience this situation has caused, and we’re committed to resolving it as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Free Xfinity WiFi Hotspots will remain open to the public through Monday, 11/25.
To help keep our communities connected until power is restored, Comcast’s network of more than 66,000 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots in impacted areas are now available and free for anyone to use, including non-Xfinity customers.
How to Get Connected:
- For a map of public Xfinity WiFi hotspots, which are located both indoors and outdoors in places such as shopping districts, parks, and businesses, visit the Xfinity WiFi Hotspot Map
- When a hotspot is within range, select the “xfinitywifi” network on a device’s list of available networks and launch a browser. Sign-in options will appear for both Xfinity customers and non-customers.
- Stay up to date here
Additional Resources to Stay Updated:
Finally, we understand that this is a difficult situation for so many people. That’s why we wanted to share The Warm Line (for adults and youth in WA state) at 877-500-9276, which is open from 10AM - 9PM to call just to talk with someone for emotional support if you, your friends, or family members are feeling anxiety or distress associated with the windstorm (or anything else) and would like to talk with someone. There is also a teen line to speak with another teenager for peer support at 866-833-6546 between 6PM - 10PM (that is a national line). Also, 988 is always available for more help at any time as well.
As always, please continue to stay safe, help your neighbors where you can, and always call 911 for emergencies.
All the best,
Sarah Perry
King County Council
District 3
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