West Seattle, Washington
10 Friday
Thanks for the tips! There’s a water break in Arbor Heights, near 40th SW/SW 100th. Seattle Public Utilities had a crew arriving when we were there.
(Find the City Light “live” outage map here)
8:09 AM: As noted earlier, though the windstorm is long over, new outages have hit this morning, in High Point and toward the east end of the Roxbury corridor. We’ll be covering those in the hours ahead, and checking out windstorm damage/cleanup around the area. Thanks for all the tips and updates in our past 14+ hours of coverage – more to come!
8:24 AM: That end-of-Roxbury pocket, and the North Highline outage area it was part of, is back on. The SCL map shows a few hundred, mostly in North Delridge/Puget Ridge/Highland Park, still out since last night.
9:27 AM: Anyone on the water missing this?
Karen sent the photo and says it’s beached in Lincoln Park.
10:52 AM: We’ve been out for an hour looking for aftermath such as downed trees. Thanks to a tip, finally found one:
That tree has SW Orchard closed just north of Dumar.
12:22 PM: Oregon is blocked between 38th and 39th because of this:
Police say the house’s residents heard it crack during the wind. They have evacuated. City Light has been called.
1:18 PM: The SCL outage map now shows only scattered, single-customer outages in our area. If you’re out and the map doesn’t show it, be sure SCL knows – 206-684-3000. Their map shows 2,500 still out, service-area-wide.
2:42 PM: Another storm-related closure, tweeted by Seattle Parks:
Southwest Pool is closed the rest of today (Saturday, Dec. 15) and tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 16) due to problems with the boiler following yesterday’s power outage. Please call the pool or check here for updates.
— Seattle Parks (@SeattleParks) December 15, 2018
(FOR NEW SATURDAY REPORT, GO HERE)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:35 PM: If you haven’t been outside lately – or are getting ready to head home from work – the wind has arrived. As noted earlier, the National Weather Service downgraded the alert early this morning but still warned that gusts could get into the 40s; this is supposed to ease within a few hours. We’ll be tracking the storm in the meantime. No outages or other notable effects reported in West Seattle right now but if you see/hear about something, please let us know – text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you.
5:38 PM: And minutes later … our power went out. Yours?
5:46 PM: More than 6,700 homes/businesses, as shown on SCL map. Also, a tree is reported down in the 2700 block of 51st SW. Also, another one in an alley in the 8800 block of 24th SW.
5:58 PM: As noted in our daily preview, MANY activities were scheduled tonight, so if anybody has official word of cancellations/changes, please let us know. We are headed out to check on some locations, such as the Sealth/Denny campus. Also, a revised total: The SCL map has this grouped as two outages, one with 6,740 customers affected, one with 957, so almost 7,700 homes/businesses.
6:07 PM: The West Seattle Community Orchestras concert that was scheduled for 7 pm at Chief Sealth IHS is postponed.
6:16 PM: For those asking about an estimated restoration time – the map currently just says “December 15” (tomorrow). But as we’ve noted in coverage of many outages (first one we covered was exactly 12 years ago tonight – the Hanukkah Eve windstorm), the estimates are relatively useless, could be much sooner, or much later. In this case, given the growing number of outages around the city, plan for later. Keep your fridge closed.
(Texted photo – downed trees/limbs in Eddy St. ravine)
6:21 PM: Trees reported down in 5200 block 23rd SW and near 24th/Henderson, also trouble at 10th/Henderson.
One event that is STILL ON – Denny IMS Winter Party (Posada) – they have generator power. (photo above). … More from scanner: Stop sign blown down at 63rd/Admiral. … Per comment: Chief Sealth/Garfield basketball is canceled. … WESTWOOD VILLAGE: We went over to check – Target/Barnes&Noble side is on, center stores on, QFC out and stores north of it – to Marshall’s – are out.
6:53 PM: Now the outage map includes an area south to Roxbury that adds 2,273 to the previous West Seattle total, so that means almost 10,000 customers out in West Seattle. From comments: Cocoa For a Cause, a Brownie troop’s project at West Seattle Lights, is postponed. … Also: Art Lounge at Highland Park Improvement Club is canceled. Meantime, a party that went on as scheduled:
West Seattle Be Prepared and the WS Amateur Radio Club were having their combined holiday party when the outage hit. Reports Jim Edwards, who sent the photo: “Between solar, generator and battery powered jug lanterns we are enjoying all that this season has to offer.” … Tree reported down near 18th/Orchard … Our crew says 24th SW is blocked at Henderson/Barton, with crews working on the reported downed tree there.
7:33 PM: Multiple commenters confirm what the map shows – Junction (and points north) NOT affected, so if you are looking for dinner, etc., head there. Lafayette Elementary‘s new Festival of Lights still on, too – thanks to Max for the photos:
Tomorrow too, so if you missed tonight/didn’t want to go out in the wind, you’ll have another chance. Twelfth Night Productions’ “A Christmas Carol” at Kenyon Hall, still on tonight, too, per Lou Magor‘s note (Saturday and Sunday shows remain as well) … (Photo added – “Christmas Carol” by lantern – thanks to Anna for the pic:)
Still no new info on restoration and not likely to be, as SCL now has almost 45,000 out around the region. … We found an SDOT tree crew working at 26th/Barton in Westwood:
Be on the lookout for lost pets (here’s our lost/found pets page) – we’ve already had two lost dogs reported tonight (and reunite one) – e-mail info to westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302.
8:30 PM: As noted in comments, the Morgan Junction business district has power. We are headed north on California and on that arterial, the outage is from just south of Mills, southward. … Alaska, Admiral Junction all on … so is Alki.
9:07 PM: The National Weather Service extended the Wind Advisory until 10 pm. In general, the wind in our area is indeed calming – the 9 pm gusts are lower than the 8 pm gusts. For a commenter who asked, here’s a grab of the West Seattle-and-southward outage map as of a short time ago:
9:42 PM: Though the West Seattle outages don’t appear to have changed in size, the total number out throughout SCL’s service area is now 43,000+, down about 3,000 from the peak. Meantime, since we are now into the fifth hour, you might be interested in food-safety advice regarding what’s in your fridge, if you are in the outage zone.
10:15 PM: Getting reports of restoration in the High Point area.
10:30 PM: The map now reflects more than 1,300 West Seattle customers got power restored.
11:44 PM: Seventh hour without power for 8,000+ in WS. Throughout SCL’s area, 36,000+ are now mapped as out, down 10,000 from the peak. Meantime, we’ve heard about another downed tree, this one at Jacobsen and Hudson, via Alyson, who says it’s not blocking the road but appears to have brought down a cable wire.
12:54 AM: 8th/Elmgrove report of restoration via a comment. West Seattle outage is ~300 customers smaller in latest map update. Meantime, a fire alarm brought SFD to Bed Bath Beyond in Westwood, but no fire – they think the alarm was outage-related and are closing the response.
1:07 AM: Our power just came back on, after 7 1/2 hours. Hearing from others too.
1:28 AM: We’ve noted before that SCL’s new map lags more than its predecessor. Noting that now – we’ve been back on for more than 20 minutes but we’re still shown as out. So we don’t know yet how many got power back in that last wave. The map shows 30,000 still out, service-area-wide.
6:29 AM: Thanks for the updates. Looks like the outage is down to a few hundred in West Seattle, still 11,000+ out in SCL’s service area – almost half of them south of here. (added) Here’s a screen grab of the last West Seattle pockets:
We’re working on the daily highlight list right now – assuming everything’s on as scheduled but let us know at westseattleblog@gmail.com if not – then once it’s light, we’ll be looking around for storm damage – please also let us know if you’re dealing with anything (downed trees, etc.) – thank you!
7:43 AM: A few reports of power going out again in part of High Point a few minutes ago. Ours in Upper Fauntleroy flickered.
7:59 AM: Launching a new report on current outages and aftermath. (added) Find it here.
(Photo added: Sent by Mark)
12:04 PM: We’re getting multiple reports of a power outage in Upper Alki, though so far the Seattle City Light map only shows one customer out. Be sure to call SCL if you’re affected (206-684-3000) – and then let us know!
1:11 PM: Though the outage map still shows only one customer, the outage hotline for those affected says 133, per a commenter.
2:36 PM: Power restored, per e-mail from a resident in the outage zone. SCL apologized, meantime, for the map inaccuracy, saying “a server upgrade” was at fault.
2:14 PM: Thanks to Dave for the tip – we confirmed with the Seattle Public Utilities crew on the southeast corner of California and Edmunds that they’re fixing a water break. Some traffic effects at that 5-way intersection as a result.
3:54 PM: Elaine Yeung of SPU replied to our inquiry seeking more info, saying the break was “caused by a tree root. Crews have now finished working on the pipe, placed temporary paving, and opened the street back to traffic.”
Susan reports brown water at 59th/Spokane. She’s wondering if the work crew on 59th south of Admiral is related and if others are affected. If you ever notice discolored water, be sure to notify Seattle Public Utilities at 206-386-1800.
Friday night, you might recall, 3,000+ homes and businesses were without power in West Seattle – and many more lost it briefly – because of a problem at the Delridge Substation. It was the second consecutive Friday night with a problem there, though the previous week’s outage was only “momentary.” As promised, we asked Seattle City Light today if they’ve found out anything more. SCL spokesperson Scott Thomsen says the two might have been connected:
Friday’s outage was caused by an underground cable failure.
The previous outage in that area was likely caused by a branch falling into and then off of overhead powerlines in a wooded area nearby. Our crews patrolled the area immediately and a second time during daylight, but could not find evidence of what might have triggered it.
The area of overhead lines where that first problem occurred and the underground cable in Friday’s outage are connected. While we can’t make a conclusive connection between the two events, when faults happen in the overhead system like that, it will put additional stress on connected underground cables, shortening their lifespans.
The Delridge Substation (near the dead end of SW Juneau, west of 26th) also factored into two outages in less than a week last summer – July 31st and August 6th.
9:04 PM: For some it flickered – others are out. Nothing on the SCL map yet. More info to come…
9:12 PM: Now on the outage map: 3,000+ homes/businesses.
9:22 PM: Unofficial suspicions point to the Delridge Substation, source of several problems this year and one just a week ago. There’s a ‘wires down’ call near there.
9:32 PM: Our photographer went to 26th/Juneau to check on that “wires down” report. So far no wires found down, per emergency crews. City Light says on Twitter that they think a “cable” is to blame and that power should be back “soon.” If you have to drive, note that some lights are out – that means it’s a four-way stop.
9:59 PM: SCL has updated the cause to “equipment failure.” Though the current “restoration estimate” is just before midnight, keep in mind that those are just guesses and it could be sooner … or later. Please let us know (comment, or text 206-293-6302) when you’re back on – our HQ only had flickers so we won’t know when the outage ends otherwise, and the SCL map has something of a lag … thank you. Meantime, some backstory – that widespread “momentary” outage last Friday night, also traced to the Delridge Substation, was also around 9 pm. We followed up with City Light on Monday and they thought it might have been a branch hitting a line, but they weren’t sure; they did explain that a “boom” heard that night was the sound of “breakers opening.” (As you can see in comments, many reported hearing “booms” again tonight.)
10:35 PM: Thanks for the texts! Sounds like at least some have power back.
10:49 PM: The SCL map has now updated to show all but a handful of customers are back on.
As promised, we followed up with Seattle City Light about Friday night’s brief-but-widespread West Seattle power outage. That night, all they could tell us was that they’d traced it to the Delridge Substation – also blamed for two other brief-but-widespread outages last summer – but hadn’t found out what went wrong. Today we checked with SCL’s Scott Thomsen, who says the exact cause remains a mystery: “Crews patrolled the lines that night and went out again today during daylight. They did not find any problems. They believe that a branch from one of the wooded areas could have fallen into the lines and then fallen to the ground after creating a brief short circuit.” That short circuit could have been the source of the “boom” some reported hearing, Thomsen says: “That would have been the breakers opening. They then reclose automatically. If the problem has gone away, the breakers stay closed and service is restored. That’s what happens in what we refer to as a momentary outage.”
9:18 PM: From High Point to Delridge to Fairmount Park, we’ve received multiple reports of a power flicker, and some said they heard a “boom.” Haven’t traced the source yet and haven’t heard from anyone experiencing an actual outage. Any other areas affected?
9:24 PM: Commenters indicate other areas were affected. And via other messaging channels, we’ve heard from as far west as Lowman Beach and as far south as Westwood.
9:33 PM: Commenter Aaron called in a report to Seattle City Light and says he was told it was a “blown breaker.” (You might recall two short outages in the span of a week last summer blamed on the Delridge Substation.)
10:44 PM: Just talked to Seattle City Light‘s on-call media person. While the outage was traced to the Delridge Substation, they haven’t yet figured out what caused it, but are continuing to investigate.
11:03 PM: Hard to see on a rainy night, but that puddling on SW Trenton just west of 34th SW isn’t just from the rain. Water is bubbling up from the street because of a break. Thanks to the area residents who tipped us about this; one neighbor said a crew was out flagging gas lines in advance of the repair crew. They were gone before we got there; another neighbor said Seattle Public Utilities told them that work won’t start until morning.
1:10 PM: Work did start this morning and is continuing:
No word hoe much longer. SPU says 20 homes are affected.
4:41 PM: A power outage is forcing the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) to close its Triangle location for the rest of the day, says executive director Shalimar Gonzales: “Due to an intermittent power outage, we are closing our West Seattle location for the rest of the evening. Our Fauntleroy facility will remain open normal hours today.”
8:57 PM: Update – “Our current power outage is impacting 5 properties including our West Seattle location due to a faulty cable. Seattle City Light will be working overnight to replace the cable and restore power to the area. We anticipate re-opening the West Seattle facility at 8 am on Thursday, November 15th.”
10:40 AM: Thanks to the person who tipped us about this. A small outage in Highland Park is now on the City Light map, which says 12 customers (in this area, we believe that’s all residences) are affected. No word yet on the cause.
11:57 AM: The cause is now listed as “bird/animal.”
You might notice extra utility-pole work – some installation of cabinets and antennas, some full replacements of poles – in the next month. Seattle City Light announced via its Power Lines website that it’s working with “contracted crews” to get this work done around the city, including these four areas of West Seattle (each item on the list links to a map of the work zone):
*Fauntleroy/Monroe (Lincoln Park area)
*California between Dawson and Brandon
*35th SW just south of the West Seattle Bridge
*Charlestown/42nd
The City Light announcement indicates the contractor is Mobilitie, which has also worked with Sound Transit.
12:23 AM: For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Jefferson Square area is without power. More than 100 customers, according to the City Light map.
2:41 AM: Though the time-stamp on the SCL map is outdated, we just visually confirmed that J-Square is still out of power. Totally dark except for some overhead lighting in Safeway. A City Light crew is busy on the outer southeast edge of the center.
In case you’re experiencing it too – Denise reports, “We have white water coming out of the cold water tap in the 2900 block of 39th. I called the city line at 206.386.1800 and the operator said an inspector would call back, but hasn’t yet.” That’s the number to call if you have discolored water, even if you know somebody else has reported it already.
You might recall our report last Friday about a power outage at West Seattle Stadium – forcing O’Dea, which plays home games there, to move its homecoming game to its opponent’s field at Rainier Beach HS. The outage was resolved at some point late Friday night/early Saturday morning, but with no announcement of the cause, so we followed up today with Seattle City Light. Spokesperson Scott Thomsen tells WSB that the stadium outage “was caused by the failure of a piece of underground equipment called an elbow. This is a connector for an underground cable and another piece of equipment that bends at an angle, like an elbow.”
4:24 PM: A power problem at West Seattle Stadium means the football game that was scheduled there tonight, O’Dea‘s homecoming vs. Rainier Beach, is moving. The 7 pm game instead will be played at RB’s field. City Light’s map shows only the stadium affected by this outage; we’re checking to see what happened.
5:31 PM: An SCL truck was in view at the stadium when we went by. Cause is still listed as “investigating.”
Waste Management says it’s getting back to normal after temporarily halting pickups because of the natural-gas-supply concerns raised from this week’s pipeline rupture in Canada. Here’s the WM update for Seattle customers:
Good news! All Waste Management trucks will be back on the road Friday; Puget Sound Energy has cleared us to fuel our clean air trucks. If we missed you Thursday due to PSE’s gas line problem, check below for our recovery plan. These plans are established in consultation with the cities we service and as required by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
City of Seattle
Residential – Thursday customers will receive service Friday, Oct. 12. Friday customers will receive service Saturday, Oct. 13.
Commercial – Thursday evening customers will receive service as usual. All other Thursday customers will receive service Friday, Oct. 12 or Saturday, Oct. 13.
Earlier, we published Puget Sound Energy‘s update that it’s getting back to normal.
Just in from Puget Sound Energy – our area’s natural-gas utility – an update following Wednesday’s call for conservation:
Thanks to a combination of efforts from our customers and partnering with other Northwest utilities, the natural-gas system has stabilized and Puget Sound Energy is beginning to return to normal operations following the rupture of the Enbridge natural gas pipeline Tuesday evening in British Columbia, Canada.
We are now reaching out to business customers who curtailed their usage to let them know that they may resume normal gas use. While our calls for conservation are over for both business and residential customers, saving energy is encouraged. Tips can be found here.
Efforts made by our residential and business customers were critical in helping to stabilize the system. Although PSE is returning to normal operations, we will continue to monitor the natural gas system as Enbridge works on their supply pipeline.
While the natural gas supply was impacted due to this incident, there is no damage to the PSE gas system or safety hazard to our customers from the pipeline failure in Canada. There was no loss of electric or natural gas service as a result of this incident.
The pipeline that ruptured was part of a twin-pipeline system, and its undamaged twin has received the go-ahead to restart.
(Waste Management photo)
Another local effect of that natural-gas pipeline rupture near Prince George, B.C.: Waste Management‘s natural-gas-powered trucks are idled, so if you have Thursday solid-waste pickup from WM, the company says you won’t get it tomorrow. Here’s the news release WM sent tonight:
There will be no garbage, recycling or compostables collection service for most Waste Management customers in King and Snohomish counties on Thursday, Oct. 11, due to a natural gas pipeline rupture in British Columbia.
The pipeline rupture has interrupted the flow of natural gas for Puget Sound Energy, which delivers natural gas for Waste Management trucks. The duration of the suspension is unclear.
Areas that will not have Waste Management service on Thursday, Oct. 11, include Algona, Auburn, Federal Way, Kirkland, Mill Creek, Redmond, Seattle, Snoqualmie, and the unincorporated areas of King and Snohomish counties.
Services have not been interrupted in or around Marysville (including Arlington, Granite Falls or the unincorporated area), Skagit County or Kitsap County because Waste Management uses different fuel suppliers for trucks in these areas.
“Waste Management has deployed our top logistics experts to do everything possible to address the situation and activate contingency plans,” said Jackie Lang, public affairs manager for Waste Management. “Our teams are focused on one goal – minimizing disruption for our customers. The best resource of information, as updates are available, is the Waste Management website at wmnorthwest.com.”
Here’s the WM service-alert link. This morning, we reported on Puget Sound Energy‘s call for gas customers to conserve because of the pipeline problem; PSE is now asking for that conservation to continue Thursday.
If you have natural-gas service, it’s supplied by Puget Sound Energy, and they’ve sent customers a message asking for conservation today because of a pipeline rupture in Canada. If you haven’t already seen the message, you can read the full version on PSE’s website. (PSE also is asking its electricity customers to use less, but that doesn’t apply in our area as local electricity comes from Seattle City Light.) Here’s Canadian coverage of the pipeline rupture, which happened near Prince George, British Columbia [map] – and even more info here.
From Seattle Public Utilities:
SPU crews are planning to do a hydrant flow test tonight near 6537 35th Ave SW, between 11 PM and 5 AM. The test is conducted at night to minimize impacts to customers. Crews will run water from a hydrant to test the volume coming out of the pipe to ensure there is adequate fire flow protection.
Any time there is a disturbance in the water main, discolored water can happen. Customers can visit our website for information about discolored water. If the problem persists, customers can call Seattle Public Utilities’ 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800.
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