Thousands of Washingtonians still in the dark, could go days without power

COVINGTON, Wash. — Powerful storms Tuesday left a deep mark in western Washington as thousands of people remain without power𑁋something officials with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) said they haven’t seen in years.

“We haven’t seen the likes of this in over a decade,” Melanie Coon, a spokesperson with Puget Sound Energy, said.

Coon said PSE called in crews from out-of-state to help with damage assessment, cleanup and power restoration. Coon said some customers could be without power for several days as efforts to restore are underway.

“Have food on hand, flashlights with batteries (and) charge phones,” Coon said.

South and East King County were some of the hardest hit parts in western Washington. Our crews went down to the Covington area and saw plenty of widespread damage and people without power.

“It was a very scary evening. We’ve got children in the home … so it could’ve been a lot worse,” Misty Carpinito, who lives in Covington, said.

Carpinito said Tuesday night was a pretty scary experience for her and her family. She said a massive tree in their yard was knocked down by the strong winds𑁋taking out their fence, and power lines and completely blocking the road.

Not long after the weather cleared, Carpinito said several neighbors, including a nearby licensed contractor and their crew, came by and helped clear out the large tree from the road and power lines. Carpinito said she did have to pay a decent amount of money for the removal, but felt it was worth it.

“My concern was that cars fly through this road and it’s dark ... had that tree been left, then it could’ve been a bigger disaster,” Carpinito said.

Although it isn’t clear when everyone’s power will be back on Carpinito and her family are looking at the positives.

“I think it’s when life gets hard, you look around at all the helpers,” Carpinito said.

PSE also provided these safety tips for the next few days as crews work:

• Don’t bring propane stoves or heaters indoors.
• Don’t charge cell phones in your vehicle with the garage door closed.
• Make sure your generator is not close to your house or in your garage.

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