Emergency Proclamation Issued for Windstorm in Snohomish County
The windstorm caused prolonged power outages, road closures, property damage, a death, and increased demands on emergency response resources.
Devastating winds last week caused extensive damage, affected residents throughout the county, and consumed resources for road maintenance, emergency response and power restoration.
The county Department of Emergency Management is working with partner agencies to document damage to public infrastructure, including downed power lines, broken poles, blown transformers, and the high cost of removing trees from across dozens of roads.
More guidance is coming next week for homeowners, renters and business owners. Online and in-person options are being prepared so people can report damage, which is the first step in potentially qualifying for relief funds. Any such funds would be limited, and it’s important for insured homeowners to remember that insurance likely will be their best option to recover costs from storm-related damage.
To be ready to complete the survey online or in-person next week, people can start gathering their information. They can anticipate being asked to provide:
· Address of damaged property (Note: Only primary residences qualify. No outbuildings).
· Primary cause of damage.
· County assessed value of the structure.
· Estimated value of personal property or contents lost.
· Brief description of impacts to structure or land and any unmet needs.
· Whether the property has homeowners, renters or business insurance.
· If it is safe, please photograph the damage using your phone and prepare to share the images.
For updates and a link to the survey next week, please visit www.snohomishcountywa.gov/6586/Report-Damage.
Information about storm damage is being gathered at the request of state emergency management officials, who will assess whether the community is qualified for federal relief funds. Please do not wait to make needed repairs to impacted property. Document conditions before the repairs as much as is safe and possible, then move forward with repairs, insurance requests, or other post-storm work.
County Executive Dave Somers issued an emergency proclamation Tuesday, Nov. 26 as the response to the storm continues.
“These weather events have impacts long after the gusts are over,” Somers said. “I want to extend a personal thank you to the Snohomish County employees and our partners, particularly Snohomish County PUD, who have had a direct role in helping our community during and after the storm. With potential for more storms ahead of us through the winter and into the spring, please make sure you have your emergency kit ready, monitor the forecast, and check in with your friends, family, and neighbors."
The windstorm’s impact on the transportation system and power grid was so severe that it has taken much of a week to get an informed assessment of damage. The wind knocked down hundreds of trees, many into power lines and roadways. Neighborhoods remained cut off for days, particularly on the east side of the county.
The storm also took the life of a 65-year-old woman who was at a homeless encampment in Lynnwood when the encampment was struck by falling trees.
At the storm’s peak, 135,000 Snohomish County PUD customers lost power, and restoring electric service required work from all-hands at the publicly owned utility, augmented by roughly three dozen outside crews and eight contract tree crews. Power restoration work was done at more than 500 different locations and crews replaced 120 broken utility poles, 37 miles of wire, and 93 damaged transformers. At least 30 traffic signals also went dark, and the county closed 31 miles of roadway along 33 different roads due to traffic hazards such as tangles of downed power lines. Reopening those roads required most of a week and required close coordination between road crews and PUD.
“We know this powerful storm has disrupted the lives of many Snohomish County residents,” said Lucia Schmit, director of the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management. “First responders and recovery teams have been working around the clock to keep people safe, restore electrical service and reopen roads. Today’s proclamation is another important step toward helping people through the challenge.”
The emergency proclamation directs all applicable county departments to take actions deemed necessary to mitigate the storm’s impacts to private property and publicly owned infrastructure.
