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Lake Stevens, surrounding areas assess damage from bomb cyclone

Dozens of trees and power poles remain down. Thousands remain without power.

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. — With Thanksgiving just eight days away, storm victims like the Lincoln family of Lake Stevens are counting their blessings.

"We were very fortunate how and where it fell on that corner," Abraham said. 

A 75-foot cedar tree crashed into the house just feet from the bedroom of a 7-year-old boy.

It punched a hole through the roof and ceiling as the family of five hunkered down for a long night ahead.

"Essentially, we just braced for it but stayed together to keep each other comforted," Abraham said.

Jake Baker's phone started ringing at 2:30 on Wednesday morning. By 9 a.m. he had received more than 100 calls for help from people with trees in their homes.

The owner of Bridger Range Enterprises, Baker's first stop was a Lake Stevens home where a massive cedar had crashed through the roof.

With the unstable tree resting precariously atop the house, Baker's first concern was the safety of his crew.

"With other trees being damaged, we're having a lot of overhead danger," Baker said, as rain started to fall. "And now the wind and storm are coming back around, so it's adding to the mess."

The number of Snohomish County homes damaged is still being tallied, but damage around Lake Stevens is extensive.

Dozens of trees and powerlines blocked a mile-long stretch of OK Mill Road.

One Snohomish County PUD worker remarked the storm, deemed a "bomb cyclone," had created what looked like a war zone.

The PUD said at the height of the storm 135,000 customers were in the dark.

PUD officials said Wednesday morning 35 crews were working around the clock to restore power with help from 11 outside agencies. It will likely be days before all power will be back on in Snohomish County.

Among those left in the dark were the MacKinnon and Thaut families. 

By noon it had been 16 hours.

"I've lived here all my life and never seen anything quite like this," Michael MacKinnon said. "My kids have never been without electricity this long."

The two families live next door to each other. The kids play together.

Christina Thaut said the outage gave everyone a rare opportunity to "unplug."

"We had a big slumber party in our bedroom with our kids and kept everybody warm and safe," Thaut said. "We played board games and went on an adventure to Costco."

"For me, it's actually been kind of a nice mental break because I work at home," MacKinnon said. "There's not much I can do."

Among those falling victim to the storm in Lake Stevens was a stand of evergreens that had been decorated for Christmas.

Despite all the damage, families were left feeling grateful as they headed into the holidays.

"We're very fortunate," Abraham said. "For me, it's just a huge blessing."

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