PSE: Electricity May Be Out Beyond the Weekend for Some

Update:

As of 4 p.m., Friday, approximately 239,000 homes and businesses were without electric service, according to Puget Sound Energy. PSE line crews are working around the clock to assess damage and restore power to customers; some customers may be without power beyond the weekend.

As the snow melts and ice weighs down trees, there is the potential for new damage, according to the utility, and Friday that could cause more damage.

About 537 customers were in Bellevue were without power in scattered outages throughout the city, according to a service outage map.

According to King County, the closest general population community shelter operated by the American Red Cross is in Issaquah:

Issaquah Community Center (open until further notice)   

  301 Rainer Boulevard South
  open 24 hours to the general population  
  operated by the American Red Cross

NOTE: Anyone seeking shelter should bring: 
  -Prescription and emergency medications.
  -Extra clothing, pillows, blankets, toiletries, important documents and other comfort items. 
  -For families with infants and children, remember to bring items such as diapers, formula and toys. 
  -Animals, except for service animals are not allowed at the shelters

Families who need emergency shelter can call the Seattle Humane Society (located in Bellevue) to inquire about disaster-related emergency boarding at 425-274-1498.

Original:

Hundreds of thousands in Washington are still without power and may continue to be through the weekend, as Puget Sound Energy continues to repair the damage caused by this week's snow and ice that struck the region this week.

During the snowfall, about .

Puget Sound Energy's service alert map has gone down, but the areas in Bellevue without power had been scattered throughout the city.

The utility reported that as of 11 a.m., approximately 254,000 customers are without power. Puget Sound Energy crews have restored power to more than 138,000 customers in Western Washington, the utility reported.

Given the magnitude of the damage caused by this week’s storms, we predict many areas will remain out of power through the weekend, and some beyond. Better restoration information will be available as our crews are able to gain access to hard hit areas today. In addition, snow and ice-laden trees continue to have potential to cause new damage—and we are watching for expected strong winds tonight and into Saturday. 

Puget Sound Energy said that 50 additional crews will be deployed Friday and more than 60 additional crews from out of state are expected to arrive Saturday.

If the power goes out

Customers may report an outage by calling 1-888-225-5773, logging onto PSE.com, or sending an email to customercare@pse.com with name, address and account number, if accessible. Customers should put “Power Outage” followed by their “city” in the subject line.

-- Information from Puget Sound Energy