This week’s snow and ice events caught islanders by surprise but everyone seemed to handle the few days of inconvenience well. During other storms, we’ve seen far more cars stuck in ditches or abandoned along the shoulder, and we’ve heard more stories of people shuddering in their homes due to prolonged power outages.
As of this writing Friday, any major power outages were yet to come on Whidbey Island, despite hundreds of thousands losing power elsewhere. Puget Sound Energy had crews on the island early in the week who made short shrift of outages, quickly fixing lines knocked down by broken tree limbs. But the “great thaw” had yet to come. A quick, wet melt can cause widespread power outages when the heavy white stuff causes huge limbs to crash onto the power lines. We can only hope such a phenomena does not occur locally as this storm dissipates.
What might become known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day storm was not “snowmaggedon,” as hyped by the mainland media, but it does serve as a good reminder to folks that Whidbey Island has known days and even weeks of going without power, particularly when the main feeder line at March’s Point in Skagit County or in the Deception Pass area are taken out by falling trees.
Puget Sound Energy installed high lines all the way down the island several years ago and has cut back overhanging branches, making it harder for major lines to be knocked out. But local power lines, strung just above the cable TV wires, are more vulnerable, and neighborhoods can still find themselves without electricity for days at a time.
This storm is just another reminder that we live on an isolated island and that all residents should be prepared for anything, from snow and ice storms to deluges, wind storms and earthquakes. Any of them can cause havoc, so have plenty of food and water on hand at all times, and make sure your have a safe, alternative source of heat.
Islanders are famous for helping their neighbors, but the best course of action is to help yourself first. Then, you’ll be prepared to help others.
