Severe Storm Cuts Power in Northwest; 2 Dead
Pastor Dale Morgan
Severe Storm Cuts Power in Northwest; 2 Dead*
Friday December 15, 2006 6:16 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A powerful storm socked the Pacific Northwest with
heavy rain and wind gusts close to 100 mph Thursday, flooding streets,
toppling trees and cutting power to thousands. Two deaths were blamed on
the storm.
More than 150,000 customers lost electricity in Washington and Oregon,
utilities reported. Additionally, Washington's largest utility, Puget
Sound Energy, said thousands lacked power.
A wind gust of 97 mph was recorded at Rockaway Beach, Ore. The Hood
Canal Floating Bridge, which links Washington's Kitsap and Olympic
peninsulas, was closed after winds gusted to 74 mph.
Rain drenched Seattle's Qwest Field just before the NFL game between the
Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. A power surge briefly knocked out
the large video screens at both ends of the stadium.
Flooding stalled traffic in parts of Seattle, and falling trees and
debris forced the closure of several highways in Oregon and Washington.
``It's just too unsafe out there to take chances with people's lives,''
said Bob Doran of the Oregon Department of Transportation. ``The brunt
of the storm hasn't yet hit, so we are expecting more trees to come down
later tonight.''
In Washington, a falling tree crushed the truck of a couple who stopped
their pickup because of downed trees, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman
Ed Troyer said. The woman was killed and the man was cut from the
wreckage and taken to Madigan Army Medical Center in critical condition.
A man who swerved his car to avoid a fallen tree died when he hit
another tree, Troyer said.
The storm also hindered rescue workers searching for three climbers on
Oregon's Mount Hood. Some searchers planned to stay on the mountain in
hopes that the weather would break.
The National Weather Service said as much as 8 inches of rain was
expected on the coast and 5 inches in the Cascade Range, with snow at
higher elevations.
The weather service issued flood watches along many rivers in both states.