Priest Rapids Dam Explosion PUD employee in critical condition improves
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 5 months AGO
Priest Rapids Dam
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | November 2, 2015 5:00 AM
EPHRATA — The last Grant County PUD employee who was listed in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle has improved to serious condition. Both patients in Harborview are now listed in serious condition, said Susan Gregg, hospital spokesperson.
The employee, identified as a man in his 40s, was injured in an Oct. 8 explosion at Priest Rapids Dam. He was one of six employees hurt and is one of two still hospitalized at Harborview. Both are still in the intensive care unit and both will be undergoing surgery for their burns.
The second employee, also a man in his 40s, is “awake and alert,” Gregg said.
People who want to send messages of support can email the hospital at www.uwmedicine.org/patient-resources/email-patient. People who don’t have the patients’ names can identify the message destination with “dam explosion patients in intensive care,” Gregg said. The family of one of the patients, Michael Stalcup, has published a mailing address for cards. It’s Michael Stalcup, Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104-2420.
All six people suffered burns in the explosion, which has been traced to a circuit breaker in one of the dam’s 10 generators, although PUD officials haven’t identified which one. The breakers serve as the main on-off switches for the generators and the unit affected by the explosion was taken out of operation at the time of the incident, said Chuck Allen, PUD public information specialist.
All injured employees were power plant operators or electricians.
One of the six was treated and released within a day of the explosion, while the other five were airlifted to Harborview. Three have since been released.
A donation fund for all six victims was established at Granco Federal Credit Union, 217 Southwest Alder St, Ephrata. Donations should be marked for the “Priest Rapids Family Fund.” Donations also can be mailed to Granco, PO Box 127, Ephrata, WA 98823. Stalcup’s friends have set up a separate fund for him on the website GoFundMe.com.
The PUD is conducting an investigation into the cause of the explosion, and the generating unit won’t be put back into service until the investigation is complete, Allen said. The Washington Department of Labor and Industries is conducting a separate investigation.
No timeline has been announced for the completion of either investigation.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Moses Lake Grange to sponsor candidate forum
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grange No. 1151 will sponsor a forum where people can listen to candidates for the Fourth Congressional District from 3 to 5 p.m. May 9 at the Grange building, 14724 Road 3 SE.
Ephrata to consider impact fees for new development
EPHRATA — The possibility of adding transportation and parks impact fees for new development will be under consideration by the Ephrata City Council, starting with a discussion April 29. Community Development Director Ron Sell said development fees would be a new thing for Ephrata. “Currently we don’t have any impact fees in place. We do have a parks mitigation fee in place,” Sell said.
Surveys of Moses Lake residents show attitudes toward service cuts, sales tax increase
MOSES LAKE — About 49% of Moses Lake residents contacted as part of a survey of community attitudes and priorities said they were satisfied with the direction of the city, with about 42% saying they thought the city was on the wrong track. The biggest concerns of survey respondents centered around homelessness and public safety. The survey was part of a larger project to get public input on possible revisions to city programs due to a deficit in the general fund. “We’re trying to understand how voters look at their values and what kinds of things you might have the opportunity to do in the future as you’re thinking about corralling this budget. Where are the opportunities, where will you find resistance and (where) will you find more agreement among voters?” said Ian Stewart, of Fulcrum Strategy group, which conducted the survey.