Now is time to prepare for ‘mega storm,’ officials say

Published 3:13 pm Friday, December 19, 2008

Widespread power outages and more snow appear likely as another major storm is forecast to charge into Western Washington Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a winter storm watch, a high winds watch and an avalanche watch for Snohomish County.

“This looks like kind of a mega storm,” said Tammy Douherty, the assistant director of the county’s Department of Emergency Management.

The storm, packing sustained winds of up to 70 mph, is expected to hit hardest in communities from Lake Stevens east, including parts of Arlington, Granite Falls, Snohomish, Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Index and Skykomish.

Now is the time for people to get ready for the worst, officials said.

People at home can be preparing for the storm by double checking to make sure they have sufficient emergency supplies including working flashlights, battery operated radios and plenty of food and water. Click here for more preparation tips.

With already snow and ice covered roads, people should try to make do with existing supplies, she said.

“If they don’t have to go out, they should stay in,” Douherty said.

If a trip to the store is unavoidable, make sure the car is stocked with blankets, food and chains or sand, in case the vehicle gets stuck, she said.

Should power outages hit, Red Cross emergency shelters likely will be opened around the county to provide a warm place for people to go, Douherty said

The storm is expected to be “significant,” said Kirby Cook, a weather service forecaster.

It’s predicted to move into the area Saturday afternoon and expected to be causing problems through Sunday.

Winds are forecast to increase Saturday morning and gusts off the Cascades could reach 90 mph, especially in the higher foothills, Cook said.

Sustained 70 mph winds are more than sufficient to cause widespread power outages. Temperatures are forecast to be hovering near freezing, so there is a specter of many people being without power and facing severe cold.

“We’re actively tracking the weather information,” Snohomish PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said this morning.

The utility has crews and extra materials standing by, he said. More help from outside the region is available, if necessary.

Heaviest snow for the coming storm is forecast in areas outside Snohomish County.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re not expecting snow in Snohomish County,” Cook said.

People with special needs, especially those requiring power to run medical equipment, should make contingency plans, he said.

“We can’t guarantee uninterruptible power,” he said.

Camano Island has been hard hit by previous wind storms and residents there are starting to prepare for the possibility of wind-whipped yards and days without power.

Camano Plaza True Value Hardware has already sold out of flashlights, generators, propane heaters, space heaters, de-icers, shovels and sleds, said shipping and receiving manager David Stach.

“Since last week when the storm warning hit that we were expecting ice and snow, we’ve been sold out of just about every kind of emergency supply,” he said, launching into a long list of sold-out items. “We’re selling cold weather gloves like they’re going out of style. Anything that has to do with cold weather, we’ve been selling out faster than we can keep it on our shelves.”

Many customers are also buying pruners and chainsaws to trim lose limbs that may blow onto power lines or homes, he said.

The weather service also today issued an avalanche warning for the Cascade Range, where recent storms have in places dumped several feet of new snow. Starting today, through Monday, officials are worried that changing conditions, including high winds, could create instability in the snow pack and trigger slides.

Meanwhile, the continuing weather problems are creating a dangerously low emergency blood supply in the region, officials said.

The Puget Sound Blood Center has canceled over 15 blood drives, lost more than 1,000 blood donations and 50 platelet donations, spokesman Michael Young said.

People who are able to donate blood are asked to call the Puget Sound Blood Center at 1-800-398-7888 to schedule an appointment.

“With more inclement weather forecast, we can expect to lose an additional 500 donations over the next three days,” Young said. “And with the holidays, the next two weeks mean approximately 25 percent fewer donors than we would typically expect.”

Officials with the Salvation Army emergency shelter in downtown Everett said this morning it will remain open through Saturday night, at least.