What a shock!

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Nearly a week after the storm that rocked Whidbey Island abated, leaving the communities powerless, Puget Sound Energy announced that as of early Tuesday morning, power had been fully restored to the island.

The amount of damage done to property remains a question mark. Mike Simmons, emergency planner for the Island County Department of Emergency Management, urged anyone with property damage to call the DEM at 679-7370. Depending on the amount of property damage, public entities and private residences may or may not qualify for federal compensation.

“You have a lot of hoops to get through,” Simmons said, adding that the papers need to be filed pronto. “All we’re trying to do is accumulate the damage and get the process going.”

Community members without electricity were able to utilize shelters set up in Oak Harbor Coupeville, Freeland and on Camano Island.

In Oak Harbor and Coupeville, the cities worked with the American Red Cross to provide a safe and warm environment for comfort-seekers. At the Senior Center in Oak Harbor, Simmons said 18 people stayed overnight on Friday with a few walk-ins. The Recreation Hall in Coupeville and the Senior Center on Camano Island each had one overnight visitor and a number of walk-ins.

“The shelters were in place and people used them,” Simmons said.

The emergency planner said the massive power outage was caused by a series of events. One problem with a transmission line at Heller Road and several similar problems on South Whidbey caused a chain reaction. In Oak Harbor and Coupeville, as well as South Whidbey, many people lost power at approximately 2 a.m. Friday. Many residents in Oak Harbor and Coupeville woke up to power on Saturday morning, but the havoc wreaked on roads and some structures interrupted their relaxing cup of coffee.

“The power came on down the island in stages,” Simmons said. On Monday, some isolated homes and small neighborhoods were still in the dark. PSE reported at 6 a.m. Monday that approximately 245 people were still without electricity and crews were dispatched individually to deal with the residual power losses.

Island County Public Works worked feverishly to clear roads and keep traffic moving. On Saturday, Simmons said only two roads were still blocked, one in the Silver Lake area and Wahl Road on South Whidbey. West Beach Road was also temporarily closed on Friday due to strong winds blowing debris and water from Puget Sound.

“Public Works always does a great job with the resources they have,” the emergency planner said, adding that the conditions did not require additional outside resources. “We’re fortunate that we haven’t been stretched to the point of breaking.”

Simmons said he had heard of no injuries sustained during the storm.

“We’ve been very lucky safety-wise,” he said. “People have really paid attention to what to do and what not to do.”

With electricity once again flowing, the emergency planner said there are still questions that need to be answered. Some county facilities and other buildings may need bigger generators. Emergency water distribution is another concern.

“We’ve been working on that,” Simmons said. “We just haven’t brought it to conclusion yet.”

The DEM is also focusing on helping special populations during windstorms and other events. People with handicaps or elderly people who do well on a day-to-day basis may have difficulties during power outages.

“When a disaster happens, they need extra help,” Simmons said. “We want to provide that.”

The system of storms that has hit Island County this year hasserved as hands-on exercises for first responders.

“This is real life and the way it works,” Simmons said. “They’ve done a tremendous job.”

A flood watch was initiated during the storm on the west side of Whidbey, but tidal flooding did not turn out to be an issue, largely due to receding tides as the wind pushed the waves higher than normal. Smith Island reported gusts of 74 mph at 2 a.m. Friday.

“We’re lucky the water didn’t pile up the way it could have,” the emergency planner said.

Island County, having weathered another storm, will brace itself for the next onslaught as county departments streamline their practices. Hopefully the next event will only be a simulation.