Another West Seattle power outage: 4,200+ customers at peak

| Utilities | West Seattle news

12:35 AM: Thanks for the reports. Another power outage – so far we have reports from High Point and Sunrise Heights. Here in Upper Fauntleroy, just a flicker. Sounds like a tree might be to blame – we heard a dispatcher mention Sylvan/Myrtle, just east of High Point, and another texter mentions earlier tree trouble there too.

12:39 AM: This is now on the City Light map – more than 4,000 homes/businesses – screengrab added above.

1:22 AM: Just got a few texts saying power is restored in High Point. The map lags a bit, so we’ll see within 15 minutes or so if everyone else is back too.

1:39 AM: The map shows about two-thirds of the original outage zone is still out – now down to 2,700+ customers:

2:02 AM: Now down to just under 1,000 customers out:

2:37 AM: And now, 714 still out.

6:57 AM: Map shows that since then, everyone has been reconnected.

Jeremiah Price February 1, 2020 (12:37 am)

Power out on south Delridge near the high school also

Cait February 1, 2020 (12:37 am)

It’s been out here in Westwood for about 5 mins

Jim P February 1, 2020 (1:15 am)

Westwood Village is on as of 1 or so. Our house ties to it someplace so we are lit but Internet is down. Century says working on it.

Rae February 1, 2020 (12:38 am)

In sunrise heights. Power is out. Nothing showing up on map get outrages.

Km February 1, 2020 (12:38 am)

3 large booms and no power in High Power

Jazzyjeff February 1, 2020 (12:39 am)

Out on delridge and willow

Julia February 1, 2020 (12:39 am)

It just went out on SW Orchard, 1800 block, near Delridge and Dumar Way intersection a few minutes ago. Riverview area.

Trickycoolj February 1, 2020 (12:51 am)

South side of High Point (31st/Morgan/Sylvan) reporting for our usual green belt on a hill power outage duty. Just finished a movie credits roll power flickered off on and very off.

Alex February 1, 2020 (12:56 am)

Highland Park, too. Just off 13th & Thistle. Looking out my windows dark all around, can’t see any lights anywhere within sight of here.

Ian February 1, 2020 (1:23 am)

Power just came back at 28th and Othello in Sunrise Heights (12:29 – 1:20AM)

Amy February 1, 2020 (1:23 am)

We’re out on the west side of 31st near Kenyan, but our neighbors across the street on the east side of 31st are on.

David February 1, 2020 (1:23 am)

Power restored in Sunrise Heights near Walt Handley field.

Dm February 1, 2020 (2:47 am)

Power still out on 15th Ave SW between Holden and Webster.

Dm February 1, 2020 (3:41 am)

Power came back on for about 5 seconds and then went out again.

SickandTired February 1, 2020 (2:58 am)

Tired and sick with a cold and yet having to manually scoop out water from our sump pit because we are still one of the 714 customers without power. Not happy! Seems like power goes out at least once a year in Highland Park (we have a high density of trees here) and yet none of our elected officials have made any effort to move toward undergrounding the cables. Heck, our District representative on city council even lives in Highland Park and was chair of the utilities committee last year! Looks like we are going to have to shell out the big bucks for a generator.

Aimless February 1, 2020 (6:18 am)

Are you saying that since a council member lives in your neighborhood, you should get a massive project focused on undergrounding your neighborhood’s electrical service before everyone else?Do you have any idea how expensive doing that city wide would be?
Kersti Muul February 1, 2020 (6:53 am)

It costs millons of dollars to underground a system. It won’t happen. The best way is to underground a new system, not an old. A lot of work, cost and permission required.
- SickandTired February 1, 2020 (11:53 am)
  
  I don’t think that the cost should be a deterrent if it can be done in phases over a number of years, targeting the most impacted neighborhoods first (neighborhoods with a track record of frequent power outages). Electricity and it’s associated infrastructure are some of the most basic services a city is supposed to provide in this day and age. In the 12 month period between February 2018 and 2019, the West Seattle Blog recorded (if I remember correctly) what I believe were 27 power outages. That averages to more than than 2 outages a month over 12 months! That is not acceptable in one of America’s major cities that tries to bill itself as “world-class.” The cost of undergrounding should not be used as an excuse when we have an ever-increasing tax burden to fund nonessential government functions and services. Like I said, providing electricity and maintaining and improving infrastructure should be the most basic , essential functions of the Seattle city government. The fact is, Seattle has aging infrastructure and the bills are coming due whether we like it or not.
  - Kersti Muul February 1, 2020 (5:56 pm)
    
    When ‘should’ ever becomes a reason to do something, let me know. I have a long list.
Trickycoolj February 2, 2020 (12:07 pm)

We have underground utilities in High Point. None of it matters if the feeder lines run up cliff side green belts along Highland Park Way and Sylvan Way. My power goes out just as much as everyone else. To top it off CenturyLink has no incentive to bring us modern internet speeds with fiber because it’s too expensive to upgrade underground lines. High Point was redeveloped in the ‘00s and we have ‘00s 1.5 mbps centurylink DSL available as the fastest alternative to Comcast.

Linhers February 1, 2020 (3:41 am)

Power out again in High Point.

Sandra Callies February 1, 2020 (3:46 am)

3:40am, my power just went out

ch February 1, 2020 (8:43 am)

Why doesn’t the city cut back trees? In Highland Park area you can see branches laying on the lines. Outages are getting more frequent on my block. Meanwhile, I’m paying Seattle Lights more, but I’m getting less reliable service. $600 + bill this month.And, I have to throw out all the food in the refrigerator. Another $50 trip to the grocery store. Outages are not as frequent in other places, and yes other cities have trees, too.

Kersti Muul February 1, 2020 (5:54 pm)

Trees are not laying on power lines. They are on communication lines which do not cause outages. It’s. It the utility’s responsibility to trim comm lines.If trees were laying on power lines they would be burning themselves back and you would see it.It’s against utility policy to have trees on lines. They trim in cycles and trim back certain years amount of projected growth
- Kersti February 1, 2020 (8:47 pm)
  
  That should say *It’s NOT the utility’s responsibility to trim along comm lines*
  - ch February 3, 2020 (5:24 pm)
    
    Thanks for the explanation. Nonetheless, I still question if trees are being cut back adequately. We are having more frequent outages in this neighborhood, as reported above, this outage was caused by trees.

Ed February 1, 2020 (12:19 pm)

We are still without internet in Westwood neighborhood – Comcast doesn’t seem to be reporting it. Calling doesn’t help, their customer service is spotty at best :(

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