Power was restored to areas in and around Carnation as high winds took down power lines and plunged the area into darkness on Wednesday.
High winds knocked out power to Carnation and surrounding areas, leaving homes and businesses in darkness and disrupting cell phone service.
The storm toppled trees into power lines and at least one home, causing significant property damage throughout the region.
The power outages began around 10 p.m. and left the downtown area of Carnation in a total blackout.
In the Lake Joy area, KIRO 7 crews found at least two large trees that were knocked down by the wind. One large tree snapped in half and toppled onto a main roadway, while another smashed buildings on a residential property near the Lake, causing heavy damage.
Debris and fallen trees were responsible for pulling down power lines across the region. While some roads were initially blocked, crews sawed off and cleared at least one large tree to allow traffic to pass through.
The lack of electricity was accompanied by a loss of cell phone service in parts of Carnation, making it difficult for people to communicate or check for updates.
Ignacio Izquierdo, a Carnation resident, said the town was in complete darkness following the storm.
“The power went out around 10 p.m., complete darkness, first time I’ve seen Carnation without power,” Izquierdo said. He noted that the lack of connectivity added to the disruption. “I’m trying to get service. There’s no network working, no service right now.”
He ventured out in daylight and around town, hoping to get a signal and get updates on power restoration.
Families in the area had to adapt their morning routines without modern conveniences.
Caroline Ola, a resident of Carnation, used a lighter to ignite her gas stove so her family could prepare for the day.
“The stove, so warm up the water for the kids and my husband to take them to go to school,” Ola said.
With her mobile device nearly dead, she had to find an alternative power source. “So, pretty much there’s no power, and my phone, actually, I normally keep my phone charged. Last night it was 17%, so I took it to my car to charge it up,” Ola said.
In downtown Carnation, a normally busy Shell gas station was forced to close because there was no power for the fuel pumps or the convenience store.
Some residents discussed driving to Issaquah or other neighboring cities that still had electricity to find open coffee shops and charge their devices.
Power was eventually restored in Carnation according to Puget Sound Energy’s Outage Map. In Fall City, power was also out but was restored around 10:45 a.m.