Downed power line causes accident on Interstate 90

GRANT COUNTY — Damaging winds reached speeds of more than 100 mph Sunday, snapping at least 100 power poles and cutting off electricity to residents and businesses from Royal City to George.

More than 1,770 of Grant County Public Utility District's customers were without power Sunday afternoon, at the peak of the storm. By 9 a.m. Monday, PUD crews returned power to all but 55 customers, said PUD spokesman Gary Garnant.

Sunday's winds were more destructive than last month's windstorm, PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson told the commissioners. The mid-December storm created approximately $2.5 million in wind damage, touching off the most significant power outages during the last 25 years in Grant County and leaving the entire city of Quincy and the Crescent Bar area in darkness, Culbertson said.

Wind-speed readings at Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams were not available for Sunday because of a technical problem, Garnant said. But wind speeds on Saturday reached 70 mph at Priest Rapids Dam, he said.

The winds Sunday were strongest coming over Frenchman Hills, blowing in excess of 100 mph, he said. Substantial damage was caused to the PUD's power distribution system in the Royal City and George areas. The two communities were without electricity Sunday.

A downed power line stretching across Interstate 90 near George caused an accident during the storm involving a Grant County Sheriff's Office vehicle.

Jon Melvin, a marine patrol deputy, was driving a 2006 F-350 Ford pickup westbound on I-90 when a high power electrical line slumped just low enough to snag the truck's radio antenna, snapping it off. A semi truck following Melvin, driven by 46-year-old Omak resident William Valentine, then struck the power line, breaking the passenger-side windshield, the sheriff's office reported. As 44-year-old Bryan Boyne of Yakima followed Valentine, debris from the damaged semi truck and the downed power line flew back and struck Boyne's 2006 GMC pickup.

No injuries were reported in the accident, according to Chief Deputy John Turley.

He said 13 deputies worked overtime covering Grant County and assisting the PUD with road closures.

I-90 was closed for about two hours, near mile post 154, because of the downed power line, said Trooper Rich Magnussen with the Washington State Patrol.

Residents along Adams Road repaired roofs and siding Monday. Garnant said sheds were left rolled up in fields by the wind in the Adams Road area and power poles were found collapsed onto irrigation equipment. Toppled power poles were found on Beverly Burke Road, Garnant said.

He said PUD crews worked through Monday night repairing damage. Today, they are focusing on areas surrounding Royal City and George, where power continues to be out in spots. Some customers may not have their power restored until later today, Culbertson said.

The utility plans to fix a number of leaning power poles after those completely broken are replaced.