The Snoqualmie Valley’s cities are experiencing power outages and working hard to clean up debris after a bomb cyclone hit the region.
As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 20), Puget Sound Energy’s outage map showed at least 50 separate outages across the Valley, and multiple social media posts have shown downed trees across the Valley. The storm brought wind gusts of nearly 80 mph to Western Washington overnight.
In Carnation, public works crews were working through the night to clean up roads, along with Public Works Director Lora Wilmes, City Manager Rhonda Ender and Mayor Jim Ribail. One public works truck is out of service after a tree fell on top of it, but the crew is OK, according to a social media post.
Our public works crew is hard at work even with one less truck! Ruben, Gustavo, and Scotty are okay despite a tree falling on their vehicle. They have been working through the night along with Public Works Director Wilmes, City Manager Ender, and Mayor Ribail. pic.twitter.com/bMree7glDY
— City of Carnation (@carnationwa) November 20, 2024
As a result of another tree falling, Carnation has a water main break on the south end of town near NE 24th Street. City staff is working to resolve the issue, according to social media.
“The community is banding together right now to help clean Carnation,” said public information officer Ashlyn Farnworth. “Our public works crew is focusing on utilities, but staff and residents are about town clearing debris.”
In North Bend, Recology King County is out picking up solid waste for those with Wednesday pickup, and water and sewer are functioning, according to a social media post.
“Our Public Works crews have been busy cleaning up streets all morning,” said North Bend Public Works director Mark Rigos. “Several nearby cities like Maple Valley and Issaquah were hit even harder than North Bend, so some of the roads in the region are still closed.”
In Snoqualmie, all available crews are out addressing fallen trees, which the Public Works Department was working on throughout the night, according to social media. The city’s priority, the post said, is to get roads open.
Schools and libraries
All King County libraries will be closed Nov. 20.
The Snoqualmie Valley School District has canceled school and all after-school activities and events for Nov. 20. The district office is also closed. The Riverview School District also canceled school and all school-related activities for Nov. 20. District offices are closed as well.
Roads
Early Wednesday morning, Carnation reported via social media that there are three roads closures: Regal Street, closed due to large tree blocking the road; West Ames Lake Drive NE, closed due to flooding; Ames Lake Road, SR 202, Union Hill Road, a soft closure due to live wires.
North Bend posted shortly after 9:30 a.m. that Tanner Road is closed, with alternative access available via Eagles Nest Place. Tanner Election Cooperative, which serves North Bend, also posted, saying its hardest hit areas were Mount Si Road and Middle Fork Road, suffering significant damage.
Power outages
As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, Puget Sound Energy had more than 474,000 customers without power. By 9:25 a.m., that number was down to about 390,000, but the company posted on social media that it expects some multi-day outages on downed power lines. For more information, including safety tips, visit Puget Sound Energy on social platforms or at pse.com.
Reporting issues
In Carnation, residents can report street and public right-of-way issues using SeeClickFix, either on the app or online at seeclickfix.com/carnation.
In Snoqualmie, report fallen trees to the Stormwater and Urban Forestry Emergency Line at 425-736-1613. Until landlines are restored, water-related emergencies can be reported to 425-766-0151 for drinking water; 425-766-1210 for wastewater; and 425-736-1613 for stormwater.
In North Bend, contact the emergency management team at EM@northbendwa.gov to report a downed tree or other public right-of-way issue.
