A slight reprieve from the relentless snow Tuesday gave people in Everett and around north Puget Sound a chance to start digging out.
Kyle Russell hadn't driven his car since last Thursday. He spent two hours on Tuesday shoveling it out of the snow outside his Everett home. The Alaska native is no stranger to snow, but he wasn't looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.
"I'm a little timid, I'm not gonna lie," said Russell. "It doesn't have snow tires or anything like that. These roads are a mess."
"Mess" is an understatement.
Snow has been falling on and off in Western Washington for more than a week. Many called Tuesday the worst day for driving so far, in the north end where snow persists. Seattle and cities further south have seen the snow turn to rain.
Side streets, driveways, and parking lots across the north Sound remained treacherous. Branches heavy with snow and ice have fallen into the streets. Power outages have turned traffic lights dark. Drivers got stuck all over the place.
Liz Dutcher was one of the drivers who got stuck. Fortunately for her, Jalyn Greene was there to give her a hand.
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Greene hitched Dutcher’s car up to his truck and pulled her out of a parking lot ice pit.
"It makes me feel really good. I don't have AAA or anything, so I feel like I got saved. I really, really appreciate it," said Dutcher. "I didn't know how I was gonna get out of there!"
"It's nice to help people because you never know what you're gonna get back," said Greene, a painter and drywall worker. "It's always good to help the world."
That kind of selfless goodwill was spreading all over Everett Tuesday.
Good Samaritan Jose Salas rescued two stranded drivers in less than 10 minutes at a Value Village parking lot. His reward was a simple handshake.
"Tow trucks are kind of expensive so why not help out," said Salas.
Although, Salas admitted that his day job running a collection agency might have inspired him to balance things out.
"Karma, baby," he said. "Karma."
