‘It’s not worth your life’: Eastside officials urge drivers to avoid downed power lines

Hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians are living without power Thursday after a major storm shook the region. Winds took out power lines and caused falling trees, killing at least two people.

While residents try to navigate the aftermath, Eastside Fire and Rescue (EFR) is working to prevent more deaths and is urging drivers to avoid downed power lines.

“You might be in a hurry to go somewhere, but it’s not worth your life to travel over or around these downed power lines,” Catherine Breault with EFR told KIRO Newsradio Thursday. “If it’s down, you’re going to have to stop. You’re going to have to find another way. We really want you to be safe and avoid those.”

Related news: Eastside Fire warns of proper generator use as fires destory homes, killing one

Breault said crews have seen people drive dangerously close to downed power lines and that her agency has had to respond to related injuries.

“Somebody just driving underneath a downed power line that’s draped across the roadway with a tree down, do not do that,” she said. “Do not drive over down power lines. Do not drive around them when they’re lying across the roadway. If they’re halfway across the roadway, do not drive right next to them.”

Eastside Fire and Rescue is urging people not to drive over downed power lines. pic.twitter.com/r4PhKmYv1l

— Julia Dallas (@judallas111) November 22, 2024

According to Breault, power can spread 30 to 50 feet around those lines if they’re live.

“We’re really seeing and we’re really having a problem with people driving around downed power lines and not assuming that they’re live,” she said.

Breault explained that when trees are on the ground, people should assume there’s a power line in them.

“They’re black, they’re small, and especially at night, you can’t see the power lines there,” she said. “And we’ve seen people doing some really unsafe things around downed power lines.”

Cliff Mass: Second ‘strong’ windstorm will hit Washington Friday, with one key difference from ‘bomb cyclone’

More wind is expected Friday, which could bring even more fallen trees and power lines.

On Thursday, Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson proclaimed a local emergency in response to the storm. The news release states crews are working 24 hours a day to support the community. The proclamation allows the city to use emergency powers to assist responders.

Contributing: Jillian Raftery, KIRO Newsradio

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.