Last weekend brought record amounts of snow to the Seattle area, which created challenges for City Light crews and employees to keep the lights on for our customers. In addition to responding to outages and restoring power, City Light employees stepped up to support other City department operations and traveled south to Oregon to assist our neighboring utility that experienced greater damage to utility poles and infrastructure than we did in Seattle.
At our service centers, fleet personnel worked around the clock to ensure that vehicles were chained up and ready for any potential outages. Crews plowed snow at our facility entrances to provide access for utility trucks and equipment. Warehouses and facilities were also staffed and prepared to respond to any requests for equipment out in the field.
City Light vegetation crews clearing the security gates at our North Service Center
Field crews responded to several outages in our service territory, including areas in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and Tukwila. From car/pole incidents to falling trees, crews answered the call, navigated the snowy conditions, and made necessary repairs to bring power back to customers.
Overhead line crew responding to a tree/wire incident in Shoreline
In other parts of the Pacific Northwest, the storm resulted in extensive damage to utility poles and other infrastructure, resulting in widespread outages. Through mutual aid agreements, City Light crews were sent to Oregon to assist Portland General Electric with restoring power to thousands of residents.
City Light crews assisting Portland General Electric with repairs in Boring, OR.
The storm also presented unique needs from other City of Seattle departments. City Light crews assisted the Seattle Department of Transportation with loading salt into trucks and clearing roads. City Light partnered with the Human Services Department and Seattle Parks and Recreation to provide volunteer bus drivers transporting individuals to severe weather shelters around the Seattle area.
City Light employees volunteered as bus drivers for transporting individuals to emergency shelters
We’re grateful to all of our employees for their dedication to serving our communities. Thank you for helping us weather the storm.