As of 7:30 p.m. last evening (Nov. 21), the city reported that areas of the Island were beginning to regain power, primarily sections of the north end and Town Center. On the street front, most intersections have had power restored and the majority of lights are now functioning normally. Cell phone service and internet connectivity was also beginning to improve.
Residents can stay updated using the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) outage map: https://www.pse.com/en/outage/outage-map
Today (Nov. 22), the MI Community and Event Center is open again from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. so residents can warm up, charge devices, access the internet, utilize showers and participate in recreation programming.
Residents can also warm up at Islander Middle School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. According to the Mercer Island School District (MISD), the city will manage the shelter with support from the district. In addition to warming up, residents can charge devices and access the internet through limited WiFi capabilities.
“We know this has been a difficult and tiring 48 hours. Crews are working hard to get streets cleared and services restored. Across our region, PSE has 143 crews working 24 hours a day to reconnect customers,” said the city, adding that yellow-vested staff and volunteers will be canvassing neighborhoods this morning to distribute fliers with resource information for those residents struggling to get online or make contact with others.
The city encourages residents to check on their neighbors, especially the elderly and those without access to family members in the area, tech help or transportation. Islanders can provide neighbors with the city’s customer service line at 206-275-7600 for up-to-date information and request for transportation to the city’s warming centers.
MISD schools have been without power since the storm hit and cancelled classes Nov. 20-22. The communications team will apprise the school community on Sunday evening regarding the school situation on Nov. 25.
Due to the cancellations, the district said it will utilize weather make-up days; on Wednesday, they noted that two of the days would be March 28 and May 23.
“We know our community will continue to show grit and toughness for another day as we persist through this power outage,” MISD said in a notice to the school community.
