Power Mostly Restored In Tacoma After Outages Monday Morning

TACOMA, WA — Power has been restored to most of the thousands of Tacoma customers who lost it Monday morning, Tacoma Public Utilities reports. A new outage affecting 1394 people south of Swan Creek Park was reported at 1 p.m., but as of 2:30 p.m. is no longer listed.

“Power has been restored to most of the customers impacted by this outage. However, a few small outages remain. Our crews continue working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” Tacoma Public Utilities tweeted at 12:20 p.m. Monday.

As of 5:45 p.m. Monday, TPU is reporting five small outages affecting a total of 31 people.

At 1 p.m., TPU reported an outage affecting 1,394 customers from the Puyallup River to the north, Swan Creek Park to the west, Clear Creek to the East, and the intersection of Waller Road East and 96th Street East at the very south. As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, the largest reported outage affected 365 customers in the downtown area, roughly from 11th Street to 21st Street between 1st Street and Jefferson Avenue. Power restoration is expected by 3 p.m.

Scattered outages are also affecting about five or six customers each are reported throughout Tacoma. The cause is listed as “under investigation,” though it is mostly likely due to the heavy rains and winds of up to 49 miles an hour in Tacoma.

Heavy rains have cleared in Tacoma as of 2 p.m., and the National Weather Service reports mostly clear skies, a reported temperature of 48 degrees, and continuing high winds of up to 29 miles an hour. However, the city, like most of the Greater Seattle area, is still under a Flood Watch until Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST, and a Wind Advisory until Monday at 4 p.m.

On Monday morning at about 10:55 a.m., TPU reported more than 4,300 customers without power, according to the News Tribune. Metro Parks Tacoma reported that Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance Park is closed due to high winds and danger from falling trees. The closure includes the inner and outer loops, beginning at the intersection with Animal Loop Road. Access to the Zoo remains open, but access to Owen Beach, the Outer Loop, Fort Nisqually, and the Point Defiance Dog Park are closed until further notice. Operations are normal at Point Defiance Marina and all the gardens.

Trails at the Tacoma Nature Center are also closed due to flooding and high winds, according to Metro Parks Tacoma.

Tacoma Public Schools have not reported any closures, though districts in Bellingham, Ferndale, Mount Baker, Orcas Island, Meridian, and Lynden have all reported closures.

44th Street East is the only Tacoma street that is closed, according to a road closure map from Pierce County Public Works. Pierce County recommends caution along several roads south of the city, notably along 112th Street East, Route 7, and Canyon Road.

Patch is awaiting more information on emergency reports and flooding from the Tacoma Public Works Department.

The atmospheric river wreaked havoc across the state throughout Monday. In Pierce County, numerous roads were closed, though as of Monday afternoon most roads are open, and the county simply recommends caution around South Hill.

The situation in Skagit County was especially dire, where residents of Hamilton and Forks were evacuated Monday morning, according NBC News 5. The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that it was helping evacuate residents west of Forks, near Highway 110. The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office also reports a rescue of stranded residents near Everson.

Northbound I-5 in Bellingham was blocked for several hours due to downed trees and a partial landslide on the roadway. State Rte. 539 is also closed, while Sumas police near the Canadian border reportedly told residents there is no reasonably safe way to get to Bellingham, NBC News said.

The National Weather Service's Seattle office reported winds of up to 58 miles an hour at Sea-Tac Airport at around 10:30 a.m. Monday, 65 miles an hour in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 55 mph at Port Townsend, and 50 in Port Angeles.

The NWS Seattle reported record rain levels at the Nooksack River at Cedarville, the Samish River near Burlington, the Calawah River near Forks, and the Bogachiel River near La Push.

Experts are providing a number of safety tips for flooding and outages, including unplugging all electronics, discussing and planning an evacuation procedure, keeping important documents and valuables in a water-tight safe deposit box, and checking to see if you're eligible for flood insurance.

Related:

• Coast Guard Helps Evacuate Residents From Flooding Near Forks
• High Winds Knock Out Power For Thousands In King County Monday