Cleanup begins in Sudden Valley as residents deal with damage from bomb cyclone

Sudden Valley hummed with the sound of chainsaws Wednesday morning. Neighborhood residents walked or drove slowly through streets covered in pine needles and branches, greeting neighbors, checking out the destruction and expressing their sorrow. A bomb cyclone had hit the forest area overnight.

“It looks like a tornado has come,” said Mishon Kirkland, who was walking around the block at Gate 3 as a crew from Rawls Tree Service dealt with an uprooted cedar tree in his backyard.

Kirkland heard the tree fall around 1 a.m. on Nov. 20. The tree crushed his fence and blocked his back door, but it wasn’t as bad as the hemlock that had crashed into his roof two or three years ago. He thought there were no trees left on his property that could fall, but that apparently wasn’t the case. “At least I get more sun now,” he joked.

Across the street, Patty and Peter Rosse said in the 12 years they’ve lived in their home on Sudden Valley Drive, they’ve never heard anything like the windstorm screaming through the night.

They only lost power for three hours. The front end of Patty’s car was hit and panels on her greenhouse were blown off, but it could have been worse, she said. “We feel so blessed.”

The South Whatcom Fire Authority (SWFA) issued a news release Wednesday afternoon saying the agency responded to 22 storm-related incidents between 7 p.m., Nov. 19, and 2:30 p.m., Nov. 20. The calls also included lots of propane and natural gas. leaks, numerous trees falling on cars and buildings, and three incidents requiring assistance to rescue people trapped in buildings. SWFA normally responds to approximately 25 incidents per week.

“We believe the wind storm produced unusually damaging winds due to an easterly wind direction that is not typical for our region and caused stress on trees normally exposed to more southerly and westerly wind patterns,” the news release said.

No storm-related injuries or deaths were reported anywhere in Sudden Valley or Whatcom County. At least 16 Sudden Valley homes were damaged, and residents of six homes were forced to seek shelter elsewhere due to the level of destruction.

One of these trees fell on Summer and Callon Digger’s house at Gate 5. Tuesday night they lay in bed listening to the wind and the crackle of trees falling nearby. Then, around 22.30 in the evening, drywall and insulation materials began to fall on them. The power went out and they left the house in the dark, taking their cat and two dogs. They drove to Summer’s father’s house on the other side of Lake Whatcom and stopped to remove fallen trees and branches from the road blocking their exit.

The Diggers returned Wednesday to see in daylight the huge, healthy tree that destroyed the home they had owned for almost nine years on Louise View Drive. They notified the insurance company at noon and were waiting for a crane to remove the tree. The trunk affected every room except the kitchen, wrecking Summer’s car in the driveway and Callon’s project car in the garage.

“We definitely shed a few tears,” Summer said. “This is something we’ve been working really hard at.”

“It’s very impressive when it’s not your home,” Callon added, looking at the debris.

Whatcom County Public Works, Sudden Valley Community Association crews and multiple tree service companies responded early Wednesday morning to respond to many fallen trees. While county crews focused on public road obstructions, private roads within the subdivision were also cleared by the HOA.

SWFA reminded the community that “All residents should use extreme caution when traveling to and from Sudden Valley as there are numerous tree and power line hazards everywhere.” Station 22 offices are closed and the WTA Sudden Valley bus route will return via Geneva Avenue until further notice.

Whatcom County Public Works announced Wednesday afternoon that Lake Whatcom Boulevard is impassable between Camp Firwood and 1670 Lake Whatcom Blvd. and will probably stay that way for a few more days.

“Our team can safely reopen the road only after the power company has cleared the area and removed any remaining vegetation,” the county said. Please drive carefully and do not drive around road closed signs.”

There were a few other ways Closed in Whatcom County Crews remove downed trees and power lines. These included:

• Park Road: Highway 9 to Blue Canyon;
• Mosquito Lake Road: Mount Baker Highway to 5015 Mosquito Lake Road; And
• Mosquito Lake Road: Highway 9 to 2372 Mosquito Lake Road.

Both directions of State Route 9 between Sedro-Woolley and Wickersham are blocked with no estimated time for reopening. find another Road closures in Skagit County.

Amy Cloud, Whatcom County Emergency Management public information officer, said in an email that it is important to plan ahead to prepare for future events and recommended monitoring events. National Weather Service And WhatcomReady.org.

“If traveling in inclement weather is essential, check WSDOT And District Public Works It provides protection against road impacts and has alternative route options. And now it’s time to start putting together a Travel Bag (overnight essentials including medications, food/water, chargers, change of clothes) as well as a kit to pack. Ready for Two Weeks” continued Bulut.

As of 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, 416,488 customers were without power in Puget Sound Energy’s service area, with King County the hardest hit.

“We anticipate a multi-day outage and encourage our customers with critical needs to make alternative plans as we work to assess the situation and restore power,” PSE said in a statement. he said.

Phone lines and internet were down due to storm damage at PeaceHealth United General and Skagit PeaceHealth clinics in Sedro-Woolley. In a statement, PeaceHealth said it was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

At least one person was killed when a tree fell on a homeless camp in Lynnwood. Seattle Times. The Bellevue Fire Department reported that a Bellevue resident was killed when a tree fell on a home in the Bridal Trail neighborhood.

Correspondent Annie Todd contributed to this story.

Julia Tellman writes about civic affairs and everything that happens to her at her desk; Contact her at [email protected].