Thursday, Nov. 21 – 2 p.m.

Letter to our customers

To our customers without power: we know you are frustrated. The limited information we have been able to provide on-line, and the fact that you do not yet see our crews working in your neighborhood, is causing you to wonder what is happening.

This system was so strong that it was comparable to a hurricane and did unprecedented damage to our high-voltage transmission system – the poles and wires that carry electricity from where it is produced to the communities we serve. Without fixing those lines first, we cannot get power back into many neighborhoods. Much of this work takes place in hard to reach, remote parts of western Washington.

We have 143 line crews working around the clock – 3.5 times what we have usually, thanks to crews from other utilities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Canada.

We do know there is work to do on the distribution lines that run through neighborhoods and we will get to that work as soon as possible. We have been prioritizing critical community assets like schools and hospitals.

We plan to have the majority of customers back online by Saturday at noon. Many customers will have power restored sooner. However, we don’t have more specific information for many of our customers at this time, particularly in King County, which was most impacted by the storm, because of the extent of damage on the transmission system. As soon as we have estimates we can count on, we will share them immediately.

Here’s an update on the progress we have made since Wednesday night, and what we are doing now:

• We restored 34 substations with 15 remaining out of service. Substations serve about 5,000 customers each. As we re-energize these substations, more customers should get their power back on at a faster pace. As we restore these substations, that may also show us where there is additional damage that we could not fix until the substations were turned back on. In some cases, work on the distribution lines was already completed and customers will have their power restored when the substation is energized. For others, ground patrols will identify the location of distribution damage and complete the needed repairs.
• Overnight, we restored 5,300 customers per hour. As of Thursday morning, we restored power to more than 315,000 customers including more than 60 schools.  
• In addition to the line crews, we have 70 tree crews whose sole job is removing the dangerous and downed debris so our line crews can restore power. As you have witnessed in this storm, there is a tremendous amount of work for these crews.
• In total, we have brought in more than 1,000 support personnel from outside PSE to help with restoration, in addition to mobilizing all our PSE teams and resources.

We are closely watching additional windy weather forecasted to hit our region Friday. This may impact our ability to restore customers in the expected timeframe and cause additional outages. We will continue to work around the clock in full force until power is restored to every single customer. Please be respectful of the workers doing everything they can to restore your power. There is nothing more important than the safety of our communities, customers, and employees.

 

Progress continues

Throughout the morning crews made steady progress restoring power to customers impacted by Tuesday’s windstorm. Notably, power has been restored to an additional 10 substations and 9 transmission line segments allowing restoration of power to many schools, critical infrastructure and medical facilities. However, we understand that for those still affected it remains incredibly challenging, especially with the cold conditions. For customers needing support, please check with your local government or call 211 to find warming shelters and other resources. King 5 also has this list of resources.

The high winds and resulting tree damage not only downed the smaller, local power lines, but also damaged transmission lines – the larger lines that bring power into communities. Crews are steadily bringing transmission lines back online; this is an important step before crews can focus on the local distribution system. Please note that there will be temporary spikes in data as those systems are energized so you may see numbers go up and down on the PSE outage map as the process occurs.

Work will continue around the clock until every customer has power restored. We have the equipment and materials that are needed for the type of outages that can be caused by high winds. As crews finish work in one area, they are assigned to repair damage in another.

For remaining customers in Pierce and Thurston County, we anticipate power will be restored to the majority by 11:59 p.m. today. As more specific restoration times become available, we will be updating the outage map.

• For customers in Whatcom, Skagit, Island and Kitsap Counties we anticipate power will be restored by 6 p.m. on Friday, November 22nd.
• For the majority of customers in King County, we expect to restore power by noon on Saturday.
• Damage is heaviest in King County, which was hardest-hit and where we continue to assess the impact. We dispatched helicopters again this morning to support this assessment in order to more quickly see the specific needs for our crews. With daylight, and some crews coming off much needed rest, we anticipate making good progress today.
• More active weather is in the forecast for tomorrow, with the potential for additional outages. We are prepared to respond if there is new damage to the system.

 

Thursday, Nov. 21 – 6 a.m.

Hear from Puget Sound Energy President and CEO Mary Kipp on the significant November storm damage and restoration efforts underway.

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Progress continues

Overnight, crews made steady progress restoring power to customers impacted by Tuesday’s windstorm, restoring more than half the total customers who’ve been affected since the start of the storm. However, we understand that for those still affected it remains incredibly challenging, especially with the cold conditions. For customers needing support, please check with your local government or call 211 to find warming shelters and other resources. King 5 also has this list of resources. We are working around the clock and will continue to do so until every customer is restored.

Crews have been able to restore power to 57 schools with known power outages over the last two days, with continued efforts to restore remaining schools, medical facilities and hospitals. The high winds and resulting tree damage not only downed the smaller, local power lines, but also damaged the larger transmission lines – the larger lines that bring power into communities. Crews are beginning to bring transmission lines back online; these lines need to be brought back into service before crews can focus on the local distribution system. Please note that as transmission comes online, there will be temporary spikes in data as those systems are energized, you may see numbers go up and down on the outage map as the process occurs.

Work will continue around the clock until every customer has power restored. We have the equipment and materials needed for the type of outages that can be caused by high winds. As crews finish work in one area, they are assigned to repair damage in another.

• For customers in Whatcom, Skagit, Island and Kitsap Counties we anticipate power will be restored by 6 p.m. on Friday, November 22nd.
• For remaining customers in Pierce and Thurston County, we anticipate power will be restored to the majority by 11:59pm today. As more specific restoration times become available, we will be updating the outage map.
• For the majority of customers in King County, we expect to restore power by noon on Saturday.

Damage is heaviest in King County, which was hardest-hit and where we are still assessing damage. We are dispatching helicopters this morning to assess damage to more quickly see the specific needs for our crews. With daylight, and some crews coming off much needed rest, we anticipate making good progress today.

More active weather is in the forecast later in the week, with the potential for additional outages. We are prepared to respond if there is new damage to the system.

 

Wednesday, Nov. 20 – 11:59 p.m.

Damage assessment and restoration efforts continue

We understand the stress and disruption that outages can cause for you and your family and that it's especially challenging on cold days and nights. We continue our around-the-clock work to restore your power due to Tuesday’s damaging windstorm.

As of 11:59 p.m., we have 298,294 customers out of power, with more than 297,566 customers restored since the start of the storm. However, due to extensive wind and equipment damage, power for some customers may be out for an extended period. We are updating our outage map with the best information available and will continue to provide updates as restoration continues. Please note that outage numbers will fluctuate as restorations are occurring throughout the system. Our focus overnight continues to be on transmission lines to critical infrastructure and public safety. Our PSE dispatch team has fielded over 2,000 escalated 911 calls since Tuesday afternoon.

Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: getting a look at what’s been done to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. Crews continue to survey damage on the ground overnight and helicopter patrols will resume tomorrow morning. On Wednesday, helicopter patrols spent 9 hours in total flight assessing our transmission lines for damage. We will provide restoration updates through our outage map at pse.com/outages as information becomes available.

On Wednesday we brought in an additional 30 crews, bringing our total to 139 crews now supporting restoration efforts. Some of these crews come from other utilities from Washington State, British Columbia, Idaho and Oregon. Support from these agencies ensures that PSE restores power to our communities as soon as possible and it takes hundreds of logistical team members to support these crews.

Nearly half of our hospital and medical facilities with known outages have been restored as of this evening.

More active weather is in the forecast later in the week, with the potential for additional outages. We are prepared to respond if there is new damage to the system.

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Wednesday, Nov. 20 – 6 p.m.

Damage assessment and restoration efforts continue

Crews and hundreds of support staff continue their around-the-clock work to restore power to those who remain out as a result of yesterday’s damaging windstorm.

As of 6 p.m., we have 354,733 customers out of power. Power has been restored to more than 170,000 customers since the start of the storm. However, due to extensive wind and equipment damage, power for some customers may be out for an extended period. We are updating our outage map with the best information available and will continue to provide updates as restoration progresses. Our focus for tonight continues to be on transmission lines to critical infrastructure and public safety.

Crews continue to survey damage on the ground and helicopter patrols will resume tomorrow morning. Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: getting a look at what’s been done to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. We will provide restoration updates as information becomes available.

Crews from other utilities from Washington State, British Columbia, Idaho and Oregon have all shown up to assist in the repair of our electric system. Support from these outside agencies ensures that PSE restores power to our communities as soon as possible.

Estimated restoration times will be updated on our outage map at pse.com/outagemap and the myPSE app as they become available. We know that long outages are incredibly difficult, especially during these colder months, and we appreciate your patience as we work to restore power as quickly and as safely as we can.

More active weather is in the forecast later in the week, with the potential for additional outages. We are prepared to respond if there are new outages.

 

Wednesday, Nov. 20 – 3 p.m.

Damage assessment and restoration efforts continue

Crews and hundreds of support staff continue their around-the-clock work to restore power to those who remain out as a result of yesterday’s damaging windstorm.

As of 12 p.m., we have 385,098 customers out of power and we have restored over 190,000 customers since the start of the storm. Our focus today is on transmission lines and substations powering critical infrastructure, including hospitals, and supporting public safety.

Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: Crews are surveying damage via helicopter and on the ground looking at the damage to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. We will provide restoration updates as information becomes available.

Due to the severity of the storm and complexity of the damage to PSE infrastructure, including multiple transmission lines, substations and distribution circuits, we anticipate a multiple day outage and encourage customers with critical needs to make alternate plans as we work to assess the situation and restore power.

Estimated restoration times will be updated on our outage map at pse.com/outagemap and the myPSE app as they become available. We understand this can be very frustrating to lose power for longer times, and we are thankful to our customers for their patience as we work to repair critical needs first.

Wednesday, Nov. 20 – 6 a.m.

The windstorm caused extensive damage to our system late afternoon yesterday and into last night. As of 5:20 a.m., we have 416,488 customers out of power. Our focus today is on critical infrastructure and public safety, as PSE has been fielding many 911 calls for safety/emergency needs. With daylight approaching, crews will continue assessing more of the overall damage to the region and provide restoration updates as information becomes available. We anticipate a multiple day outage and encourage customers with critical needs to make alternate plans as we work to assess the situation and restore power.

As damage assessment and field work continue, estimated restoration times will be updated on our outage map at pse.com/outagemap and the myPSE app as they become available.

We are hearing reports of extensive numbers of downed lines and are urging our customers to never touch or go within 30 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized.

We understand this can be very frustrating to lose power for longer times, and we are thankful to our customers for their patience as we work to repair critical needs first.

Wednesday, Nov. 20 – 1 a.m.

Severe winds from this evening's bomb cyclone ripped through western Washington, causing a mass outage event throughout most of our service area, with the biggest impact in King County. As of 1 a.m. we have 474,032 customers out of power. We anticipate a multiple day outage and encourage customers to make alternate plans as we work to assess the situation and restore power.

We are hearing reports of extensive numbers of downed lines and are urging our customers to never touch or go within 30 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Field crews are also seeing many fallen trees, causing blocked roads and restricting access.

Our Emergency Coordination Center and local storm bases are open to support restoration efforts. As the winds calm down, we will start sending crews back out as it becomes safe to do so. Once we have daylight, we will also deploy helicopters to gather more information for our response.

Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: getting a look at what’s been done to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. The process takes time, especially with the extent of the damage. We have brought in additional crews from outside of the area to help with restoration efforts.

We are aware of technical issues related to our outage map and have resolved them. Thank you for your patience. Outages that have been reported are being received into the system.

Tuesday, Nov. 19 – 8 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory covering most of Western Washington. The advisories went into effect late this afternoon and are expected to continue until 4 a.m. Wednesday. Additionally, a Blizzard Warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Cascades and Snoqualmie Pass areas. As the winds pick up, we’re beginning to see scattered outages across our service area.

One issue with this evening’s strong storm is that the wind direction will be from the east-southeast, which is uncommon and could place added stress on trees.

We're working on technical issues related to PSE.com and our outage map. Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve the issue. Issues that have been reported are being received into the system.

Our crews are ready to deploy with assignments when outages occur and as soon as it’s safe to do so. We’re also bringing in additional crews from outside of the area to help with restoration efforts.

Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: getting a look at what’s been done to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. The process takes time, especially if weather remains an issue. Unsafe weather conditions can slow these efforts.

As we prepare for storm conditions, we encourage our customers to do the same:

• Make sure to have emergency supplies on hand at home and in your vehicle, such as extra batteries, flashlights and food
• Have a battery-powered radio ready to go
• Charge cell phones and mobile devices in case the power goes out
• Avoid opening and closing refrigerators and freezers more often than necessary. A closed refrigerator will stay cold for up to 12 hours.
• Turn off lights and unplug all appliances and sensitive electronic equipment, such as computers, to prevent an overload on your circuits when electric service is restored. Leave one light on to let you know when service returns.
• Download the myPSE app to track and report outages, check status and get estimated restoration times, or visit pse.com/outagemap