First, I want to say thank you to all the PSE workers for their hard work to restore power. This post is in no way to shame the hard working employees and especially the line crews and workers on the going.
In Washington, we were hit by a bomb cyclone, and I initially mistook it for a mere indication of strong winds. However, I was thoroughly mistaken, as this storm was one of the most powerful I’ve experienced or, at the very least, can recall. In August I moved to Issaquah which is on the eastside. We are aboutb15 miles from Seattle but closer to the foothills. And the bomb cyclone slammed into Issaquah which very powerful winds. Bringing down massive trees into people homes.
We’re grateful that our apartment community was spared significant damage. While some branches and smaller trees fell, reaching our home requires traversing a road lined with trees. On Wednesday morning, after waking up, we ventured out to find the extent of the destruction. Roads were blocked by trees, and downed power lines littered the landscape. We had lost power on Tuesday night around 5 pm as the storm approached. As I write this post on Saturday at 1:40 pm, we still lack power. On Friday, when the power briefly returned, we had a small hope, but only half of our apartment was illuminated. However, this respite was short-lived as power crews began repairs to our grid. Power was gone again.
We were not prepared for the storm. I had anticipated a power outage for a day or so, expecting to be able to leave safely. However, that was clearly not the case. We did not have water and our dog’s food was gone too as it need to be kept in the freezer. We were eventually able to get out and get food and water. Thursday night we got a hotel room so we could get some sleep and take a warm shower.
As we weren’t prepared for the storm, neither was PSE, our power company. They brought in crews from other areas, but the damage to the power grid was extensive. What made it even more frustrating was the communication and reporting system. It was a complete failure, and they blamed it on an upgrade made this fall. The notification system sent me a message informing me that my power was out and asking me to text Status back for an update. After sending them a message, they informed me that my phone number wasn’t registered with their system.
The outage map was constantly changing and never provided accurate information, such as the time of my power outage or whether crews were on-site. In contrast, PSE simply issued generic PR messages stating that most customers should expect power restoration by Saturday at 2 p.m. PSE is a prominent power company in Washington, serving multiple counties and cities. However, the statement was later revised, indicating that some customers would receive power on Saturday, some on Sunday, and more on Monday.
My power was later restored while I was writing this blog but as I am there are still thousands in the dark. In writing this blog I’m hoping that PSE will take this message seriously and make changes to their systems and protocols.
