SPOKANE, Wash. —It’s been cold, dark and boring.
Nearly 20,000 households in Spokane – Washington’s second-largest city – were surviving Tuesday after almost a week without heaters, lamps and TV screens because howling winds ripped apart power lines, trees and the electrical grid.
Gov. Jay Inslee visited Spokane to inspect damage from the worst windstorm in the region’s history, promising to explore whether Spokane County qualifies for federal disaster assistance.
The storm Nov. 17 packed gusts up to 70 mph that cracked trees and sent them crashing onto cars, killing three people in the state.
More than 180,000 customers lost power at the storm’s peak, and those still in the dark face a freezing forecast as Thanksgiving approaches.
“This has been a very long and very, very tough week for Spokane County,” Inslee said after being briefed by local leaders.
Mayor David Condon said about 200 people were using city emergency shelters each night, but most people still without power were staying with family, friends or in hotels.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.