UPDATE: Power Remains Out for 288 in Redmond, PSE Says

UPDATE, 5:40 a.m., Jan. 20: PSE now says 288 Redmond customers are still without power. You can check the latest number by going to sam.pse.com and typing in "Redmond."

---

ORIGINAL STORY, Jan. 19:

Widespread power outages are impacting much of the region, and approximately 1,800 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power as of 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

That number is being updated on PSE's power outage map, available at sam.pse.com. (Type in "Redmond" to see the latest data.)

Patch photographer Dave Greer told us earlier this afternoon that there has been no power at his home in Southeast Redmond since early this morning.

The following update was posted on PSE's Facebook page at around noon today:

Puget Sound Energy crews Thursday morning are working under extremely difficult conditions. Trees and limbs, weighed down by ice-encrusted snow, are breaking off and damaging power lines, resulting in new power outages to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

Due to hazardous field conditions with falling limbs and trees, some PSE crews on Thursday morning have needed to stay clear from wo...rking near trees, impeding damage assessment and repair work. Crews will resume their work as soon as it’s safe to do so.

As of 11 a.m., PSE is responding to 515 outage locations affecting approximately 184,000 customers. Hardest hit areas are in Thurston and Pierce counties and parts of King County. Since heavy snows began on Tuesday morning, PSE has restored power to approximately 51,000 customers in Western Washington.

PSE has requested 140 additional power line crews from other parts of the country to assist with repairs and restoration work, which is expected to extend well into the weekend.

There are 75 four-person power line crews, 27 two-person tree crews and 76 servicemen available and assisting with restoration efforts. 

We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to repair power as quickly as possible, with safety our top priority. 

People who need to report a power outage, should call Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773.

Here are two more updates that were posted a short time later:

As of 1 p.m., we are responding to more than 500 outage locations affecting approximately 200,000 customers.

We can’t make full estimate of how long the restoration effort will take until the ice and snow storm – and the damage it’s causing -- ends and our crews can make a comprehensive assessment of the damage. But right now, we think it will be 3 to 4 days…maybe longer.

We'll update this story as soon as additional information is released by PSE.