Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm of 2006
Encyclopedia
The Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm of 2006 was a powerful Pacific
storm
that slammed into the Pacific Northwest
region of the United States
and southern British Columbia
, Canada
between December 14, 2006 and December 15, 2006. The storm produced storm to hurricane-force
wind gusts and heavy rainfall, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and leaving over 1.8 million residences and businesses without power. 18 people were killed, most of whom died of carbon monoxide
poisoning in the days following the storm because of improper use of barbecue cookers and generator
s indoors. The name of the storm was chosen in a contest run by the National Weather Service
office in Seattle from about 8,000 entries.
s and closed many roads as well. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
partially lost power, canceling most flights. Flooding was also reported in low-lying areas from the heavy rain.
The electricity grid was hit very hard, as about 1.2 million customers lost power in the state, and Puget Sound Energy
reported that more than 75 percent of its circuits
were damaged. Municipal utilities also suffered severe damage. In the Seattle area, several days after the storm hundreds of thousands of families still remained without power and many had to leave their homes and move into hotels or emergency shelters coping with the inclement weather. Major employers in the area were affected; the power outage forced Microsoft
to shut down large portions of its campus in Redmond
on December 15.
The Seattle School District and many districts surrounding closed, marking the first time Seattle schools were closed for a weather-related reason other than snow.
It was described as the worst storm to hit the region since the Inauguration Day storm of January 20, 1993.
Kate Fleming
(aka Anna Fields) who was trapped in a flooded basement in Seattle's Madison Valley
. In Grays Harbor County
Markus Stickles was killed by a tree that fell into his home in McCleary. In Gig Harbor, Washington, Pritchard Miller and his dog were electrocuted after stepping on a downed power line. In Pierce County
, two motorists were hit by falling trees. Eatonville
resident Harold Fox, 47, was killed while trying to avoid a fallen tree south of Spanaway
. Near McKenna
, 37-year-old Roy
resident Bonnie Bacus died as the result of a tree falling onto the cab of a truck, in which she was a passenger; her husband, who was driving the truck, survived. Steven Thielen died in Spanaway
as a result of a house fire caused by the use of candles for light.
Eight deaths occurred as a result of carbon monoxide
poisoning. Five of those were members of a single Burien
family. Adam Butcher, his wife Jackie Harris, and two sons, Jason Shane Butcher, 14 and Raymond Zachary Butcher, 21, died of asphyxiation because of a generator running in a closed garage attached to their home. Another son, Rick Taylor Butcher, 24, died in a hospital on January 20, 2007 as a result of his injuries. Alejandro Nava-Solis of Kirkland
, Juan Figueroa-Gomez of Renton
, and Shah Fazli of Kenmore
were also among the carbon monoxide
deaths.
, the Seattle Times was only able to publish 13,000 copies of its Friday edition.
The following day, both newspapers had to be printed by The News Tribune of Tacoma
by virtue of an agreement to use each others' printing presses during emergencies.
For its December 20 edition, the Seattle Times put carbon monoxide warnings on its front page in English
, Spanish
, Chinese
, Somali
, and Russian
to get the word out to the immigrant community about the dangers of carbon monoxide in light of recent deaths.
declared a state of emergency in Western Washington
as a result of the damages. On January 11, the Governor requested a federal disaster declaration and on February 14, the declaration was approved by President Bush
.
rain storms in the first week of the month. Combined with several days of snow and ice later in the month, and continuing rain throughout the first half of December 2006, the ground in the Puget Sound region was extremely waterlogged and loose.
Additionally, large portions of the planted trees in the Seattle metropolitan area were at the end of their lifespan, being some 60 to 70 years of age or more. To compound this, many tree species had shallow root systems that did not extend past the waterlogged soil.
The result of these factors was that many thousands of large, old trees easily uprooted and tipped over, frequently with tons of mud captured in their roots, and crashed into homes and power lines.
. Extensive tree damage was reported, some of which fell on houses or on power lines. More than 350,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. Shelters were opened in the coastal regions as a result of the storm damage. Governor Ted Kulongoski
requested a federal disaster declaration on January 31, 2007.
Two people were killed due to a house fire in Seaside
during a power outage. The severe weather also hampered the rescue efforts of three missing climbers on Mount Hood
; one climber was later found dead and the other two are missing and presumed dead. On the Oregon Coast, three sailors hired to sail a catamaran
from South Africa
to Seattle are missing. The 50 ft (15.2 m) boat was found overturned on a beach near Lincoln City
the morning of December 15. The crew was last seen leaving San Francisco on December 8. The search for the three sailors was called off on the afternoon of December 16.
, the storm followed several others that occurred in the preceding weeks. The most high-profile damage caused by the storm was the breaking and uprooting of around 1000 trees in Stanley Park
in downtown Vancouver
. In addition to Stanley Park, extensive damage was reported to trees around the Lower Mainland, which also took power lines down with them as well as a number of houses, notably on exposed areas of West Vancouver facing west over Howe Sound
. BC Ferries
service was disrupted along the coast, along with other transit disruption, closed roads, and closed schools. At its peak, BC Hydro
reported that over 250,000 customers were without power.
An elderly couple died of asphyxiation as a result of carbon monoxide
poisoning in Burnaby
.
suffered a total of $220 million in insured damage according to the Northwest Insurance Council. Washington suffered $170 million in damage and Oregon $50 million. $47 million in damage to public property resulted from the windstorm in Washington State with "several million dollars in damage" to public property in Oregon
.
In British Columbia
, insured damage is expected to reach $80 million and at Vancouver's
Stanley Park
repairs are expected to cost $9 million because of numerous fallen trees and damage to the seawall
.
as well as the issue of possible problems with storm water drainage which some believe may have led to her death and the flood damage of several homes on the evening of December 14. Seattle received 0.86 inches (21.8 mm) of rain between 4pm and 5pm, leading to major urban flooding. A city report released on February 27, 2007 stated that sweeping changes were necessary in emergency response services to better mitigate the effects of a natural disaster on the city, such as the establishment of a 311 hot line for non-emergency calls, the installment of emergency generators in every fire station in the city and reconsideration of relying on builders to ensure that storm drains aren't clogged by sediment
filters.
The flooding which lead to the death of Fleming was investigated by Denver-based engineering firm CH2M Hill
on behalf of the City of Seattle. In its report, released in April 2007, investigators identified several factors, including an unprecedented and unanticipated amount of rainfall, the failure of a nearby retaining wall, and the inadequate design of the drainage system around Fleming's home.
coasts, as well as the mountains. Interior locations of Puget Sound
and Willamette Valley
had gusts in the 50-80mph+ range.
In addition to the wind, record-breaking rainfall fell in Seattle with nearly an inch in a one hour period the afternoon of December 14. Such a rainfall event is only expected in Seattle every 99 years.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
storm
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
that slammed into the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
between December 14, 2006 and December 15, 2006. The storm produced storm to hurricane-force
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
wind gusts and heavy rainfall, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and leaving over 1.8 million residences and businesses without power. 18 people were killed, most of whom died of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning in the days following the storm because of improper use of barbecue cookers and generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
s indoors. The name of the storm was chosen in a contest run by the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
office in Seattle from about 8,000 entries.
Washington
The storm left heavy damage across Washington, especially tree damage. The fallen trees knocked down many power lineElectric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
s and closed many roads as well. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...
partially lost power, canceling most flights. Flooding was also reported in low-lying areas from the heavy rain.
The electricity grid was hit very hard, as about 1.2 million customers lost power in the state, and Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy is Washington state's oldest local energy utility providing electrical power and natural gas in the Puget Sound region of the northwest United States...
reported that more than 75 percent of its circuits
Electrical network
An electrical network is an interconnection of electrical elements such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, transmission lines, voltage sources, current sources and switches. An electrical circuit is a special type of network, one that has a closed loop giving a return path for the current...
were damaged. Municipal utilities also suffered severe damage. In the Seattle area, several days after the storm hundreds of thousands of families still remained without power and many had to leave their homes and move into hotels or emergency shelters coping with the inclement weather. Major employers in the area were affected; the power outage forced Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
to shut down large portions of its campus in Redmond
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
on December 15.
The Seattle School District and many districts surrounding closed, marking the first time Seattle schools were closed for a weather-related reason other than snow.
It was described as the worst storm to hit the region since the Inauguration Day storm of January 20, 1993.
Deaths
Fourteen people were killed in Western Washington. One of them was 41-year-old voice actressVoice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
Kate Fleming
Kate Fleming
Kathryn Ann "Kate" Fleming was an American award-winning audio book narrator and producer.She was the owner and executive producer at Cedar House Audio, an audio production company specializing in spoken word that is located in Seattle, Washington, United States...
(aka Anna Fields) who was trapped in a flooded basement in Seattle's Madison Valley
Madison Valley, Seattle, Washington
Madison Valley is a neighborhood in Seattle located east of Capitol Hill; west of Washington Park; south of Montlake; and north of the Central District.The valley is centered on the corner of E. Madison Street and Martin Luther King Jr...
. In Grays Harbor County
Grays Harbor County, Washington
Grays Harbor County is a county in the state of Washington, in the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 72,797. The county seat is at Montesano, and its largest city is Aberdeen. The county is named after a large estuarine bay near its southwestern corner...
Markus Stickles was killed by a tree that fell into his home in McCleary. In Gig Harbor, Washington, Pritchard Miller and his dog were electrocuted after stepping on a downed power line. In Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
, two motorists were hit by falling trees. Eatonville
Eatonville, Washington
Eatonville is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,758 at the 2010 census.-History:For centuries, Indian people roamed the rivers and streams of the Eatonville area. Indian Henry was one of those who, in 1889, guided the town's founder, Thomas C. Van Eaton, from...
resident Harold Fox, 47, was killed while trying to avoid a fallen tree south of Spanaway
Spanaway, Washington
Spanaway is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 27,227 at the 2010 census. Spanaway is an unincorporated area near Tacoma, and is often identified together with the more urban, less wealthy Parkland....
. Near McKenna
McKenna, Washington
McKenna is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, Washington, United States, located on State Route 507 and the Nisqually River, east of Yelm.Founded around 1908, McKenna is a former timber company town....
, 37-year-old Roy
Roy, Washington
Roy is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 793 at the 2010 census.-History:Roy was officially incorporated on January 16, 1908. It is a rural city outside Tacoma and primarily features ranch-style homes and farms. Roy was one of the early communities in the area,...
resident Bonnie Bacus died as the result of a tree falling onto the cab of a truck, in which she was a passenger; her husband, who was driving the truck, survived. Steven Thielen died in Spanaway
Spanaway, Washington
Spanaway is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 27,227 at the 2010 census. Spanaway is an unincorporated area near Tacoma, and is often identified together with the more urban, less wealthy Parkland....
as a result of a house fire caused by the use of candles for light.
Eight deaths occurred as a result of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning. Five of those were members of a single Burien
Burien, Washington
Burien is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle. As of the 2010 Census, Burien's population is 33,313, which is a 2.9% increase since incorporation. Annexation in 2011 has increased the cities population to about 45,000....
family. Adam Butcher, his wife Jackie Harris, and two sons, Jason Shane Butcher, 14 and Raymond Zachary Butcher, 21, died of asphyxiation because of a generator running in a closed garage attached to their home. Another son, Rick Taylor Butcher, 24, died in a hospital on January 20, 2007 as a result of his injuries. Alejandro Nava-Solis of Kirkland
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
, Juan Figueroa-Gomez of Renton
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
, and Shah Fazli of Kenmore
Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shores of Lake Washington...
were also among the carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
deaths.
Newspapers
For the first time in 70 years, on December 15 the Seattle Post Intelligencer was not able to publish copies of its newspaper. As a result of a power outage at a printing plant in BothellBothell, Washington
Bothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
, the Seattle Times was only able to publish 13,000 copies of its Friday edition.
The following day, both newspapers had to be printed by The News Tribune of Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
by virtue of an agreement to use each others' printing presses during emergencies.
For its December 20 edition, the Seattle Times put carbon monoxide warnings on its front page in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Somali
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
, and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
to get the word out to the immigrant community about the dangers of carbon monoxide in light of recent deaths.
State of emergency and recovery
On December 18, Washington Governor Christine GregoireChristine Gregoire
Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire is the 22nd and current Governor of the state of Washington, and a member of the Democratic Party. Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington...
declared a state of emergency in Western Washington
Western Washington
Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as that part of Washington west of the Cascade Mountains.It is known as being far wetter in climate than the eastern portion of the state, which...
as a result of the damages. On January 11, the Governor requested a federal disaster declaration and on February 14, the declaration was approved by President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Air quality
In the wake of the storm, the quality of air deteriorated due to the increased use of wood stoves and fireplaces while the air was stagnant.Contributing factors
Just previous to the windstorm, Seattle set a new record for rainfall in a single month with nearly 16 inches (406.4 mm) of rain falling in November 2006, much of it from a series of Pineapple ExpressPineapple Express
Pineapple Express is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated heavy rainfall from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America...
rain storms in the first week of the month. Combined with several days of snow and ice later in the month, and continuing rain throughout the first half of December 2006, the ground in the Puget Sound region was extremely waterlogged and loose.
Additionally, large portions of the planted trees in the Seattle metropolitan area were at the end of their lifespan, being some 60 to 70 years of age or more. To compound this, many tree species had shallow root systems that did not extend past the waterlogged soil.
The result of these factors was that many thousands of large, old trees easily uprooted and tipped over, frequently with tons of mud captured in their roots, and crashed into homes and power lines.
Oregon
The high winds also left damage in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Extensive tree damage was reported, some of which fell on houses or on power lines. More than 350,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. Shelters were opened in the coastal regions as a result of the storm damage. Governor Ted Kulongoski
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski is an American politician, who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon. A Democrat, he has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as the state Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General, and an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.-Early...
requested a federal disaster declaration on January 31, 2007.
Two people were killed due to a house fire in Seaside
Seaside, Oregon
Seaside is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. The name Seaside is derived from Seaside House, a historic summer resort built in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The city's population was 6,457 at the 2010 census.-History:...
during a power outage. The severe weather also hampered the rescue efforts of three missing climbers on Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
; one climber was later found dead and the other two are missing and presumed dead. On the Oregon Coast, three sailors hired to sail a catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to Seattle are missing. The 50 ft (15.2 m) boat was found overturned on a beach near Lincoln City
Lincoln City, Oregon
Lincoln City is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It is named after the county. The population was 7,930 at the 2010 census.- History :...
the morning of December 15. The crew was last seen leaving San Francisco on December 8. The search for the three sailors was called off on the afternoon of December 16.
British Columbia
For British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, the storm followed several others that occurred in the preceding weeks. The most high-profile damage caused by the storm was the breaking and uprooting of around 1000 trees in Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
in downtown Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. In addition to Stanley Park, extensive damage was reported to trees around the Lower Mainland, which also took power lines down with them as well as a number of houses, notably on exposed areas of West Vancouver facing west over Howe Sound
Howe Sound
Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound, actually a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver.-Geography:Howe Sound's mouth at the Strait of Georgia is situated between West Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. The sound is triangular shaped, open on its southeast towards the...
. BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
service was disrupted along the coast, along with other transit disruption, closed roads, and closed schools. At its peak, BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
reported that over 250,000 customers were without power.
An elderly couple died of asphyxiation as a result of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning in Burnaby
Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby is a city in British Columbia, Canada, located immediately to the east of Vancouver. It is the third-largest city in British Columbia by population, surpassed only by nearby Surrey and Vancouver....
.
Total damage
Washington and OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
suffered a total of $220 million in insured damage according to the Northwest Insurance Council. Washington suffered $170 million in damage and Oregon $50 million. $47 million in damage to public property resulted from the windstorm in Washington State with "several million dollars in damage" to public property in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
In British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, insured damage is expected to reach $80 million and at Vancouver's
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
repairs are expected to cost $9 million because of numerous fallen trees and damage to the seawall
Seawall (Vancouver)
The seawall in Vancouver, Canada is a stone wall that was constructed around the perimeter of Stanley Park to prevent the erosion of the park's foreshore. Colloquially, the term also denotes the pedestrian, bicycle, and roller blading pathway on the seawall, and which has been extended far outside...
.
Post-storm controversy
Soon after the windstorm, controversy began in Seattle over the drowning death of Kate FlemingKate Fleming
Kathryn Ann "Kate" Fleming was an American award-winning audio book narrator and producer.She was the owner and executive producer at Cedar House Audio, an audio production company specializing in spoken word that is located in Seattle, Washington, United States...
as well as the issue of possible problems with storm water drainage which some believe may have led to her death and the flood damage of several homes on the evening of December 14. Seattle received 0.86 inches (21.8 mm) of rain between 4pm and 5pm, leading to major urban flooding. A city report released on February 27, 2007 stated that sweeping changes were necessary in emergency response services to better mitigate the effects of a natural disaster on the city, such as the establishment of a 311 hot line for non-emergency calls, the installment of emergency generators in every fire station in the city and reconsideration of relying on builders to ensure that storm drains aren't clogged by sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
filters.
The flooding which lead to the death of Fleming was investigated by Denver-based engineering firm CH2M Hill
CH2M Hill
CH2M Hill is an American-based global provider of engineering, construction, and operations services for corporations, nonprofits, and federal, state, and local governments. The firm is headquartered in Meridian, an unincorporated area of Douglas County, Colorado in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan...
on behalf of the City of Seattle. In its report, released in April 2007, investigators identified several factors, including an unprecedented and unanticipated amount of rainfall, the failure of a nearby retaining wall, and the inadequate design of the drainage system around Fleming's home.
Peak wind gusts
Wind gusts were as high as 70 to 100 mph or more in some locations along the Washington and OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
coasts, as well as the mountains. Interior locations of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
had gusts in the 50-80mph+ range.
In addition to the wind, record-breaking rainfall fell in Seattle with nearly an inch in a one hour period the afternoon of December 14. Such a rainfall event is only expected in Seattle every 99 years.
See also
- 2006 storms in Vancouver, Canada2006 storms in Vancouver, CanadaThe 2006 storms in Vancouver were a series of storms in November 2006 that caused landslides into Vancouver's three main reservoirs. This led to the water system becoming contaminated far beyond the legal safety limit and forced the city to implement a boil water advisory for all of the city's...
- Columbus Day Storm of 1962Columbus Day Storm of 1962The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 was an extratropical cyclone that ranked among the most intense to strike the United States Pacific Northwest since at least 1948, likely since the January 9, 1880 "Great Gale" and snowstorm...
- Great Coastal Gale of 2007Great Coastal Gale of 2007The Great Coastal Gale of 2007 was a series of powerful Pacific storms that affected the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia between December 1, 2007 and December 3, 2007....
- Late December Snowstorms of 2008
- South Valley Surprise of 2002South Valley Surprise of 2002The South Valley Surprise of 2002 was a Pacific windstorm that affected the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, and Idaho on February 7, 2002.- Overview :...
- Winter storms of 2006-07
External links
- KOMO-TV Seattle December Windstorm articles (bottom of page)
- Seattle P-I December Windstorm Coverage (various articles and damage images)
- Vancouver Sun December Windstorm article (also damage images)
- Post-storm analysis by Climatologist Wolf Read