Wind whips Whidbey Island

As the result of Thursday’s first storm of the season, more than 15,000 homes on Whidbey Island lost power due to the high speed winds that buffeted the area that afternoon.

However, as of noon Friday, power had been restored to all but three homes on the island, according to Puget Sound Energy.

Winds reached speeds close to 50 miles per hour, according to information from the Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Detachment Whidbey.

The fall windstorm apparently spared the area from any significant damage.

Marv Koorn, chief of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, said firefighters responded to only one call — a downed tree on Silver Lake Road.

“We had it pretty easy,” Koorn said.

The high winds did prompt the cancellation of Thursday’s swim meet between Oak Harbor and Everett. The Everett swimmers didn’t make the trip to Whidbey Island.

On Central Whidbey, firefighters responded to nine calls during the windstorm. Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue Chief Joe Biller said that all those calls were to remove fallen trees that had blocked roads or driveways or had fallen into power lines.

He said that one lady in the Lagoon Point area nearly had to be relocated due to the power outage because she is on oxygen. Fortunately power was restored before she needed to be moved.

High winds wreaked havoc on Whidbey Island last year. Those winds caused numerous power outages, some lasting for days, and snarled traffic during the winter months.

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