This car was crushed in the 6300 block of 40th Ave. S.W. at around 4:30 a.m. according to neighbors. The large tree literally snapped off near the ground and also damaged a fence and closed the road. Other trees and power outages were caused by a strong winter storm that blew through area Jan. 11.
UPDATE 9:30 a.m.
The power was slowly being restored to the Gatewood neighborhood of West Seattle as City Light crews worked on several areas. The outage was down to 726 or so by 9:30 a.m. Several trees fell, one crushing a fence and car and blocking the road in the 6300 block of S.W. 40th north of Morgan Street S.W.
Another fell in an alley near 46th and Hill and a smaller tree fell near 39th and Monroe partially blocking the road.
Crews near Henderson and Delridge worked on a power pole to get it working properly and others had hooked up emergency generators at the Barton and Murray Basin pump stations to keep them from overflowing. By 9:30 the power at both had been restored. There was a small overflow King County said and Lowman Beach has been closed. Testing is underway. Both pump stations are getting updated backup power systems as part of upgrades now in progress.
The weather was expected to remain unsettled through the day and evening. NOAA weather said: "Today Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 50. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 29 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Tonight Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 41. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 21 to 26 mph decreasing to 14 to 19 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Original Post
The high winds accompanying a weather system blowing through the Seattle area on Jan. 11 are the most likely culprit for a 4:30 a.m. power outage, though no cause has been stated by Seattle City Light. It affects 1165 customers in the Gatewood neighborhood of West Seattle. They estimate a 10 a.m. restoration.
The area affected extends from Morgan Street to the north, nearly to 39th S.W., missing Orchard Street S.W. but going down to the water along Lowman Beach Park.
Another 110 on Henderson Street S.W. west of Delridge Way S.W. are without power as well, caused by a tree. 10 a.m. is also the approximate restoration time. 9 more on Kenyon Street are down and there are a few other sporadic outages.
Power was lost at both King County’s Barton and Murray pump stations too.
Crews responded early Saturday morning with mobile generators to restore power at the stations, which pump wastewater to the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle. Employees will investigate whether the power outages led to wastewater overflows into Puget Sound.
If overflows occurred, King County will post public warning signs on the beaches, notify health and regulatory agencies, and sample water quality over the next several days.
You can monitor the system, if you have power, here: http://www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat/
