WA State Storm Damage reports: Updated frequently -- Slideshow of damages OMG!

[Whoa_Nelly]

For our WA Du'er friends: This site is being updated frequently, and tells of road conditions, where things are getting cleared out, etc.

http://www.king5.com/sharedcontent/northwest/specialreport/stories/NW_121506WABweatherwirefriCB.10663076.html

Latest reports:
10:25 a.m. The King County Department of Transportation reports hundreds of downed trees have closed roads in communities throughout the county. At this time, an estimated 35 roads maintained by the county have been closed. Every available maintenance employee has been dispatched, armed with chainsaws in an effort to clear trees and get roads reopened. Traffic crews are also responding to malfunctioning signals that were damaged by the high winds. All available road maintenance crews will likely work through the weekend to clear roads. In some cases, tree removal will need to wait until power crews can remove power lines that have also fallen.

<snip>
9:52 a.m. A viewer sent us this email: "King County Juvenile Court is flooded. Last night at about 4:45 there were several employees stuck in the building. Water was up to the front door and ready to poor in. The stairs turned into a water fall and cars in the parking lot were flooded. Those of use that got out waded through about 2 feet of water full of muck and debris. Today, the court is closed and no employees are to report."

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Be sure to scroll down to the 9:41 report to see a huge slideshow of the damages

Viewers have been sending in photos, so the news team at 5 have put together a slideshow.

OMG! Hope to hear from more of our WA DU'ers today! :hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Tree going through a car!

A tree going through a car. Surprise Lake Apartments In Milton, Wash.

[RebelOne]

11. That car's owner certainly had a surprise. n/t

[AllegroRondo]

3. Wow. I hope they can get power restored soon.

St Louis had half a million without power after the storm two weeks ago, some for up to 8 days.

[SeattleGirl]

4. Holy shiite!

I was lucky around here. My neighbor had a smallish tree limb snap off and land in his yard, but no trees came down on my street. I was a bit concerned last night during the height of the storm, as there are two very tall trees which could have hit our house had they been blown down.

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. Glad there was minimal damage by you, SG!

:hug: Glad you're OK!!!

It looks like quite a few people were hit pretty hard by the storm. Am going to call my best friend who just moved to Fox Island from Oklahoma, and see if she's all right. (She just got married 2 weeks ago...thus, the move to new hubby's home in Gig Harbor. She still has her Oklahoma cell phone number.)

BTW--speaking of Gig Harbor/Fox Island:
The reason I found this news site was because of looking for news about Fox Island regarding the storm. Couldn't find anything specific. Do you know anything about what may have happened in that area last night?

[SeattleGirl]

9. I know that they closed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge last night

because of winds. That's how you get to Gig Harbor from this side of the world. Last time they closed it was the Thanksgiving Day storm in 1990 or 1991. I was one of the last people over the bridge, going to my grandparents' house in Gig Harbor for dinner.

Anyway, I have not heard too much about that area. One site you might want to check is the Tacoma News Tribune's website. Here's the link:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/

[Whoa_Nelly]

10. Thank you, SG!

:loveya:

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Just talked with friend on Fox Island

She was in Gig Harbor getting coffee, something to eat. Said their place on the island had a lot of debris, but no major damage to their place and no harm to them.

She also said what was really weird is that she could see the trees being blown by the wind, and could hear the wind, but down at ground level for a while there was no wind. Said the whole thing was pretty spooky.

She also said she was going to get her camera and start taking some pics.

Am so glad all is well with her. We've been friends for 50 years.

[SeattleGirl]

30. I'm glad your friend is okay.

:toast:

[Madrone]

5. We're completely without power on the east side -

It went out just after I got up this morning. Our entire county is out. (Kittitas) I work for the telco so I'm at work, my laptop still has some battery and I built a wireless captive portal a year ago that's wired into the CO so I've got internet. We're running extension cords to the CO to tap into the generator as I speak - so I should be able to stay online all day - until it's time to go home and figure out WTF I'm going to do with no heat. I've got some animals I'm worried about, and an elderly neighbor that lives alone.

The guys were talking here this morning and the reports are that it could be at least 3 days before we have power.

My cell phone service is knocked out too.

Other than all THAT - no major wind damage. It's very cold though!

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. Can you put in a call to local authorities or someone re: elderly neighbor?

Someone should check on her with the power out and no heat.

Glad you can be online. Hopefully, you can update us tonight if you do have power back at home. :hi:

[Madrone]

8. I don't think we're going to have power tonight -

We're a SMALL town - they're not going to be working on us first.

I'll check on the neighbor later - and I'm going to borrow an old school phone from work to take home so I'll at least have a phone we can use. I believe the neighbor has a generator, he's made mention of it before. I tried to go over twice this morning before leaving for work to see if he needed any help but he didn't answer the door, and it was locked or I would have just gone in. I'll try again when I go home for lunch. There are people at work that have woodstoves, so if I have to take him somewhere with me I will certainly do so.

[Ariana Celeste]

12. Anyone know firsthand what it's like in Kent and Tacoma?

My mom was at one and my bro was at the other last night.

[SeattleGirl]

14. Ariana, for Tacoma, look at my response to Nelly, above.

It's the web site for the Tacoma News Tribune.

For Kent, try this link:
http://www.southcountyjournal.com/

Also, here are Seattle's two main newspapers:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/

[Ariana Celeste]

13. Damn, I just read through most of that.

I don't remember any storms like that when I lived there! I just moved here 3 years ago!

My mom was supposed to call me this afternoon, so I'm going to be worried sick until she does.

[SeattleGirl]

16. Does she have a cell phone?

If her phone is like mine, with a base that has to be plugged in, and her power is out, she wouldn't be able to call you on that one. But if she has a cell phone, then there should be no problem.

Hope she's doing all right.

[Ariana Celeste]

18. Thank you for both your responses.

She has a cell phone- around the next half hour I'm supposed to hear from her, we were going to get on expedia.com together and buy a flight ticket so I can visit in January. If I don't hear from her soon I'll be calling her, and my bro. I'm not so much worried about my dad, he's in Fall City and whenever it gets stormy they just get snow and a flooded river. I'm gonna call him anyways though. My bro is in a mobile home in Tacoma atm so I'm pretty worried about him.

[SeattleGirl]

19. Hope they're all okay, Ariana.

Would you let us know how they are?

[Ariana Celeste]

20. yes of course, and thank you

hopefully i'll talk to one of them soon

[Ariana Celeste]

22. I just talked to her and she's alright

she says my brother is fine too and has power. so I feel much better now. :)

[SeattleGirl]

29. Wonderful!!!!

I'm so glad to hear that, Ariana! :bounce:

[Madrone]

23. Just FYI Re: cell phone -

I have NO service. THat won't necessarily be the case where your family is, but it's a possibility.

[Ariana Celeste]

25. so far so good, but ive got a couple more calls

thanks for the fyi :hi:

my dad has no power at home in fall city, or in his shop in duvall

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. Did you see the video of the 520 bridge?

Or the jet coming in for a landing at Seatac?

Crazy shit.

[SeattleGirl]

17. Yep. It was very nasty.

On the news on the radio last night, they talked to a man who was on that flight. He is a very, very frequent flyer. Said in all the flights he has taken, that was the absolute scariest one he's ever been on.

[Whoa_Nelly]

27. Is there a link to either of those?

My friend's husband said a floating bridge was completely messed up. Is that the 520 bridge?

[SeattleGirl]

36. Nelly, I just posted a link to the video in a thread I just started.

:hi:

[Whoa_Nelly]

38. Thanks, SG!

:loveya:

[SeattleGirl]

39. You're welcome.

:loveya:

[graywarrior]

21. And here I am bitching about Florida.

[Madrone]

24. Shit!!! 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS estimated without power.

This is what I have to look forward to where I'm at.

[SeattleGirl]

31. They are talking up to 10 days in Tacoma.

Sorry, Madrone. That sucks! x(

[seemunkee]

28. What are things like out by Duvall?

I have a friend who lives out that way and works at the convention center. I know two weeks ago he ended up hitching and walking home.

[SeattleGirl]

32. I was just wondering the same thing, as one of my DU friends

lives in Duvall. I'll see if I can find any info on that area.

[Ariana Celeste]

34. My dad says no power

He has a shop out in Duvall and the power was out last night and he said it still was this morning

On edit: he told me on his drive to Duvall from Fall City he saw 7 downed power lines

[SeattleGirl]

37. Thanks Ariana.

That must have been where the footage I saw earlier was taken. Yikes!

[seemunkee]

40. Thanks

He doesn't have a cell phone so I can't find out where he's at. Probably staying with someone in town.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

33. No need to fret- FEMA will be on the case shortly!

:sarcasm:

I wish all those DUers (and all the rest) in the affected area the best of luck.

[Whoa_Nelly]

35. Sammamish Plateau hit VERY hard

From the link in my OP

12:18 p.m. SkyKING keeps discovering home after home in the Sammamish Plateau area that have been damaged by falling trees. In one neighborhood, five homes were hit.

[Ariana Celeste]

41. I just talked to my cousin in Kirkland,

and she says the power is out at her dad's house and my grandma's house. SO I don't know if that is *all* of Kirkland or just their area.

[SeattleGirl]

42. Depends on where they are in the area.

Power went out here last night, and I drove to the store to get additional candles and batteries. On one road I was driving on, the houses on one side of the street had no power; the houses on the other side of the street were just fine.