Is that how it’s going to go down in the history books? As I walked up to my apartment at three in the morning, the Sunday Seattle Times newspaper was already out and the front page was the power outage from the storm. The main headlines on every national news media channel, CNN, and radio broadcasts is the impact after the huge storm that Seattle just experienced. Word has it the last time we saw a storm this big was back in 1993.

The reports are claiming there are still over one million homes still without power right now! Some businesses are running off generators. Seattle and the University District are doing ok, Redmond got its power back 24 hours after the storm, but it’s not so good in other places. Renton is pitch black, with no street lights, no retail center lights, nothing at all! It doesn’t help when sunset happens before 5:00pm every day.

Unfortunately, with the street lights out in most areas, there are too many accidents happening because the indigenous people of Seattle don’t understand what a four-way stop is and how to handle them.

First, there was the previously huge snow storm. Second, we have this huge wind storm. Wind gusts reached 100mph in some areas. There was enough wind to warrant closure of Highway 520. The next morning on 520 was spent doing ultrasounds to make sure the bridge integrity was good and it was safe to drive on. Highway 520 is in a very fragile state right now, and this natural disaster is showing how fragile the state of Seattle and the surrounding region is. Crews from California and Nevada have come north to help us out here. Trees litter the roads, power lines are down everywhere, roads are closed, and gas is hard to come by.

People are fighting at the gas station, the ones that you can find open. Long lines mean a 45 minute wait at the pump. I went to one gas station and all they had in stock was the premium 92 octane, meaning pay for the best or get nothing at all.

It’s not just the gas issue. Restaurants are packed, that is if they are even open. Most businesses are shut down. The Microsoft campus is dormant, grocery stores are non-existent, and a hot meal is hard to find. You begin to appreciate just how much a hot shower feels and a warm meal in your system.

It probably hit me the worst in regards to the lack of Internet. With my business, my livelihood, my primary channel of communication, and the lack of free wireless since businesses are shut down, it can be hard to live in a world without Internet.

In a prior blog, I complained about the rocks and debris. It has just gotten worse. I don’t even want to imagine the additional problems that this region will face if power and order is not restored for another week.

I hear the fire truck sirens once again going off in the background. It is sad to think the only light in this pitch black area is the red and blue glow from the police and fire crews.