Windstorm knocks down trees, knocks out power
Lexi Collins of Rathdrum inspects the damage after a backyard tree succumbed to Tuesday's windstorm and broke into her neighbor's backyard. Downed trees and power outages plagued parts of Kootenai County well into Tuesday night. (Photo by Angie Collins)
Sharp winds toppled trees and periodically interrupted power throughout Kootenai County Tuesday afternoon and into the evening.
The National Weather Service kept its high winds advisory in effect through 11 p.m. Tuesday night, urging travelers to be cautious on the roads for falling branches and loose debris.
Some saw more than just falling branches and loose debris interrupting their lives. Reports of property damage came in from Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hayden and Rathdrum as wind gusts topped 55 miles per hour, pulling trees from grounds already saturated from three straight days of rain.
Crews for Avista and Kootenai Electric had already prepared before the windstorm and were working through the evening to restore power as outages occurred.
“At this time, Avista crews are ready with fueled and stocked fleet vehicles, warehouse supplies are in place,” Lena Funston, spokesperson for Avista, said Tuesday afternoon. “Assessment teams are standing by along with wire guard teams to help ensure public safety near downed power lines, tree crews are prepared, and employees are moving from their typical day-to-day responsibilities to assist in storm-related activities.”
Preparedness aside, the outages came nonetheless. As of 7 p.m., Kootenai Electric reported a widespread outage in Spirit Lake, while 18 separate Avista outages impacted 982 residents the greater Coeur d’Alene area, mainly in Hayden, where homes went dark east of U.S. 95 near Government Way. Avista would report 531 without power in the area, where traffic lights periodically lost power. Fire crews responded to a small fire in a field across from Maverik on Hayden Avenue in Hayden, as well.
Several trees came crashing down near City Beach in Coeur d’Alene Tuesday afternoon, when the first brunt of the windstorm hit. At 2 p.m., the wind was a calm breeze in Coeur d’Alene, according to the National Weather Service. By 3 p.m., the gusts had reached 45 miles per hour. A tree crashed into a living room near Garwood, with no injuries reported. Trees also toppled onto the sides of homes in Coeur d’Alene, and winds knocked trees in Post Falls while taking out fences in Hayden and Rathdrum.