Windstorm 2015

On Tuesday, November 17, we had heard that the afternoon was going to be filled with strong winds.  We didn't realize just HOW STRONG these winds would be. The result was the most destructive windstorm that Spokane has experienced.  We had hunkered down for the evening--and the power stayed on long enough for us to cook our dinner--but I remember the power going out, the fifteen battery-operated candles being distributed around the house, and Micah wanting to stand right by the slider to watch the silhouettes of our huge pine trees sway and bend in the wind.  

That night we tried putting the kids down in their beds before we got scared about their rooms being too close to our bending trees, so we all slumber-partied in our bedroom (even Brooke, who was still staying with us!).  Our power came back on in the early morning, but we were the lucky ones.  Some families lived without power for DAYS.  We read that 200,000 customers were without power--far surpassing the infamous Ice Storm of 1996 (which happened on November 19th, people...insert Twilight Zone music, here).  The South Hill lost a LOT of trees.  Jen and Kevin ended up having a STAYCATION at a hotel in Cheney just to have power! The last of the electricity was restored eight days later.  

All three of our school districts closed for the rest of the week, AND 81 remained closed, due to their number of schools still without power, for the three days before Thanksgiving.  

The Loop at Whitworth was left devastated.  They'd just lost a lot of trees a year and a half ago with a big windstorm, but no one thought that this would happen again so soon.

Drew and Annie came over for breakfast the next day to have breakfast with our power.  It quickly turned into Lochhead Boy WrestleFest 2015.