1993 — Jan 20, Inauguration Day Wind Storm, WA — 5

Washington                (5)

— 5  NWS, WFO, Portland, OR. Washington’s Top 10 Weather Events of 1900’s.

— 5  WA EMD. December 2006 Windstorm Response After Action Report… March 2007, p. 5.

— 5  King County, Jan 20. NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 1, Jan 1993, p. 63.

— 3  Falling trees.

— 1  Jan 20. Tree falls on boy, 4, in his yard.[1]

— 1  Heart attack while clearing trees downed by high wind.

— 1  Tree downs power lines when it falls, electrocuting male, 37.[2]

 

Narrative Information

 

Hampson and Stock: “On January 20, 1993, a severe windstorm entered Washington State from the south at 08:00 AM. The maximum wind gust was 94 miles per hour, resulting in loss of electrical power to 776,000 residents of Western Washington. Temperatures dropped to near freezing for four consecutive nights following the storm. At least 81 patients from 30 incidents were treated in 13 Western Washington hospital emergency departments (EDs) for CO poisoning over that time. The two main sources of CO were charcoal briquettes (47% of incidents) and gasoline-powered portable electrical generators (33%). Of the 81 patients identified, 35 (43%) were referred for hyperbaric oxygen (HBO 2 ) treatment of severe poisoning. Patients presented to the ED in increasing numbers for the first three days after the storm struck, then appeared with decreasing frequency, presumably due to restoration of electrical power… Of the total group, 78% presented on day 2 or day 3. The majority of poisoned patients presented after sundown (approximately 17:00 PM) each night… The onset of darkness and resultant fall in temperature presumably led many to turn to hazardous alternatives for home heating and electricity for lighting, resulting in the indoor use of charcoal and improper use of generators.” (Hampson and

Stock. “Storm­ Related Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Lessons Learned from Recent Epidemics.” Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, Vol. 33 No. 4, 2006, p. 258.)

 

NWS WFO, Portland:

  • Claimed 5 lives, 3/4 million homes and businesses without power
  • Total damage in western Washington, $130 million
  • Winds in Puget Sound area – gusts 60-70 MPH
  • Cape Disappointment – gust to 98 mph

 

(National Weather Service, Portland WA WFO, WA Top 10 Weather)

 

WA EMD: “On January 20, 1993, Washington State sustained…[a] major windstorm with winds gusting up to 98 miles an hour on the coast and 70…[mph] within the Puget Sound area.  This storm was directly or indirectly responsible for five deaths in the state (National Weather Service).  None of the five deaths were due to carbon monoxide; however 81 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning were reported (Hampson & Stock, 2006). During the 1993 storm, approximately 870,000 customers were without power for four days in temperatures at or near freezing.  Fifty-two…homes were destroyed and 249 homes damaged for total losses estimated at $130 million.  The federal government issued a federal disaster declaration…and the state received $24.2 million in Stafford Act assistance…”  (WA EMD. Dec 2006 Windstorm Response After Action Report. March 2007, 5.)

Sources

 

Hampson, N. B., Stock, A. L. “Storm­ Related Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Lessons Learned from Recent Epidemics.” Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, Vol. 33 No. 4, 2006. 257-263. At:  http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/dspace/bitstream/123456789/5054/1/17004412.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 1, Jan 1993. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 4-4-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-F9E826C4-AB22-45BC-809B-21A868CBC655.pdf

 

National Weather Service Forecast Office, Portland, OR. Washington’s Top 10 Weather Events of 1900’s.  NWS, NOAA. 12-22-2008 at: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/paststorms/washington10.php

 

Reuters (Sam Perry). “Much of storm-hit Puget Sound area lacks power in region’s largest outage.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA, 1-22-1993, A3.

 

Washington State Military Department. December 2006 Windstorm Response After Action Report – A Statewide Report to the Governor. WA EMD, March 2007, 82 pages. Accessed at:  http://www.emd.wa.gov/publications/documents/FINAL_AAR_040407.pdf

 

 

 

 

[1] Reuters (Sam Perry). “Much of storm-hit Puget Sound area lacks power in region’s largest outage.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA, 1-22-1993, A3.

[2] Reuters. “Much of storm-hit Puget Sound area lacks power..” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, 1-22-1993, A3.