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October Windstorm

The high winds and rainy weather have caused many outages around our service area. There are approximately 148,000 customers without power. Our Emergency Coordination Center and local storm bases remain open to coordinate restoration efforts.

Damage is the heaviest in Pierce and Thurston counties. The high winds and resulting tree damage not only downed the smaller, local power lines, but also damaged the larger transmission lines – the power lines that bring power into the communities. We dispatched helicopters this morning to these areas to assess damage to our transmission lines.

Transmission lines need to be brought back into service before crews can focus on the local distribution system within neighborhoods and communities.

 
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alert 

Safety first. Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.

Report and track power outages online

About the program

Maintaining safe, reliable power

The beauty of the Puget Sound area is tied to its lush, abundant trees. However, trees that grow near power lines and other electrical equipment can present challenges for delivering safe, reliable power. Trees cause about 2,000 power outages per year – either when branches touch power lines or when trees fall into lines. In addition, downed power lines are dangerous. They can be energized and hazardous to public safety.

To ensure safe, reliable power for our customers and meet applicable state and federal requirements, PSE trims or removes trees that present a risk to power lines and other electrical equipment. Learn more about our program in this short video.


Trimming for safety and tree health

To determine whether a tree presents risk or has the potential to fall on electrical equipment or power lines, we analyze trees that are within 25 feet from equipment or pole locations along the power line corridor. We make every effort to let trees grow naturally, but we typically need to trim or remove trees within 15 feet of electrical equipment or power lines.


Learn more with these brochures:


Tree maintenance program highlights

  • Our crews trim identified limbs that may cause safety or outage problems
  • To offset tree removal and trimming, we devote about $500,000 each year to planting new trees
  • PSE is a Tree Line USA award recipient from the National Arbor Day Foundation – an honor we have proudly held for more than 18 consecutive years

 

Tree trimming
YouTube Video