ISSAQUAH, Wash. — One week after a bomb cyclone tore through Western Washington, thousands are still grappling with the storm's aftermath, including power outages that have left some Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customers in the dark.
As of today, roughly 1,500 PSE customers remain without power. The utility company says crews have been working nonstop and aim to restore electricity by the end of Tuesday.
Jennifer Hwang, owner of Tiger Mountain Country Store in Issaquah, recently had her power restored after six days of closure. The outage forced her to discard deli items, bread, and other perishables.
“We threw away a lot of deli products, all the items,” Hwang said. “Bread and some food for sandwiches, you know.”
Her store is now serving as a PSE resource center, helping residents navigate recovery efforts.
According to PSE spokesperson Gerald Tracy, crews have encountered extensive damage to both transmission and distribution lines, which has delayed restoration timelines.
“The transmission lines being down was a big focus, and now we’ve been focused on the distribution lines,” Tracy said. “Over the last several days, those distribution lines have seen more damage to them.”
The storm caused over 400 miles of damage to PSE’s transmission lines, which Tracy said was a major hurdle in reconnecting all customers.
For Hwang, business has finally picked back up, but she’s already thinking ahead to prepare for future emergencies.
“Probably next time we’re going to be more prepared,” she said.
PSE will not reimburse customers for spoiled food, however, those who have been without power for over 120 hours may qualify for a $50 credit.
Efforts to restore power continue across the region as communities work to recover from the devastating storm.