A one-two punch of heavy rain and stiff winds Monday and Tuesday caused power outages for thousands of Bellevue homes Tuesday night. More than 4,000 residents, mostly in south Bellevue, were without electricity as of Wednesday morning (Puget Sound Energy outage map).
Trees in soil saturated by days of rain were knocked down by gusts, bringing powerlines down with them. As of 8:30 a.m., downed trees blocked 164th Avenue Northeast (2800 block), Southeast Newport Way (15900 block), 108th Avenue Southeast (2200 block) and Killarney Way (1800 block). A full list of street closures is available at Traffic Advisories.
Republic Services advised customers Wednesday that waste collection would be delayed. "All routes are running, but customers will be serviced later than normal," the company that services Bellevue advised.
The good news is, according to the National Weather Service, rain is set to taper off Wednesday and winds were easing as well.
Keep in mind the following safety tips. Illustrated guides for windstorms are also available in 한국어, 繁體中文, Русский, English, español, tiếng Việt and 日本語.
- Never drive over flooded roads.
- Help us clear debris from your local storm drain if it’s safe. Bellevue has 20,000 storm drains – our crews are working hard but can use your help!
- Be aware if you live near streams or creeks, and take necessary precautions.
- Report downed power lines to PSE – 1-888-225-5773. Do not drive over these.
- If you experience flooding on your street or property, call 425-452-7840. Please do not call 911 unless you have a life-threatening emergency.
- Do not use gas-powered generators or charcoal grills; dangerous carbon monoxide can build up.