2006 — Dec 13-22, Windstorm and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (8), esp. Kings Co., WA-15

— 15  WA EMD. Dec 2006 Windstorm Response After Action Report. March 2007, p. 5.

—   8  WA St. Mil. Dept. December 2006 Windstorm Response After Action Report…March 2007, p. 7.

—   7  (Carbon Monoxide)  Whitely, Peyton. “7th Victim…” Seattle Times, December 21, 2006.

 

Locality Breakouts              (15)                    Cause of Death Summary             (15)

 

Grays Harbor County          (1)                   Carbon Monoxide Poisoning           (8)

— 1  Wind Debris                                            Drowning                                           (1)

King County                          (9)                    Electrocution                                     (1)

— 1  Drowning                                                Fire                                                     (1)

— 8  Carbon Monoxide Poisoning                  Wind Debris                                      (4)

Lewis County                        (1)

— 1  Wind Debris                                            Source: WA Mil. Dept., EMD, 2007, p. 14.

Pierce County                        (4)

— 2  Wind Debris

— 1  Energized Lines

— 1  Fire

Narrative Information

 

Washington State Gov.: “Executive Summary…. The December 2006 windstorms had a dramatic affect on our State and the Pacific Northwest region. Over three million residents in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia lost power over a period spanning from one (1) to eleven (11) days. Fifteen (15) citizens lost their lives due to circumstances related to the storms, generating the largest disaster-related loss of life in Washington State since the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980…. [p. ii]

 

“During the December 2006 windstorm, more than 300 patients were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning and eight people died from the poisoning. The number of patients treated was less than 1% of the population affected by the power outage…. carbon monoxide cases were

predominantly a King County-based phenomenon…. [p. 7]

 

“In April of 1996, the Consumer Product Safety Commission required charcoal packaging to include a pictogram warning to consumers of the dangers of using charcoal in enclosed spaces. This regulation was enacted to increase understanding of the dangers for non-English speaking populations. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Chairperson Ann Brown,

“This new pictogram with a clearcut warning about the deadly carbon monoxide hazard removes any doubt about the danger of burning charcoal inside a closed area…Including a picture with this warning label is especially valuable for people who are unable to read or understand English” (1996). The pictograms required include pictures of a home, tent and vehicle to express the dangers of using the product in an enclosed space (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1996). The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now requiring generator manufactures to include a similar pictograph warning on all generators produced or imported after May 14, 2007 (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2007)….as seen throughout the 2006 Winter storm period, people will disregard warnings in order to stay warm.[1] [pp. 7-8] ….

 

“The first of the windstorms occurred December 11-12 affecting Whatcom, Skagit, Island and Kitsap Counties. This windstorm closed the Hood Canal Bridge for several hours on December 11 due to the high winds and caused a loss of power to an estimated 69,700 people. Immediately

following on December 13, a second windstorm caused damage and power outage to approximately 120,700 people in Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Thurston Counties. Utility companies brought in over 40 line crews from out of the area to assist with power restoration, with power being restored to the majority of affected customers by the morning of December 14. Puget Sound Energy, the largest electrical utility provider in western Washington, opened their emergency operations center for the second time in two days to assist with the restoration process (Robinson, M. personal communication, February 5, 2007)…. [p. 10] ….

 

“The winds associated with the storm started around 4:00 pm. Throughout the evening of December 14, the storm hit western Washington with wind gusts of 69 miles an hour at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 113 miles an hour at Chinook Pass, and 135 miles an hour at Mission Ridge near Wenatchee (National Weather Service, 2006b).[2] By early morning on Friday, December 15, an estimated 4.08 million people were without power in the Pacific Northwest, primarily in counties of Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom (US Department of Energy, 2006).[3] Puget Sound Energy reported damage to over 80 high-voltage transmission lines which constituted more than 50% of the lines owned by Puget Sound Energy. To assist with the restoration process, line crews mobilized from out-of-state. The morning of December 15, Puget Sound Energy had more then 200 repair teams working to repair the transmission and feeder lines (Puget Sound Energy, 2006b).[4] Trees and limbs damaged power lines and forced the closure of roads throughout western Washington. Over 90 sites on 45 state roads closed for a time including the State Route 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, the Hood

Canal Bridge, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Ferry service suffered minimal interruption with only a few scheduled departures…. [pp. 11-12]

 

“….At 7:00 AM, December 15, 2007, the Washington State Emergency Management Division upgraded the activation level of the State Emergency Operations Center on Camp Murray to Phase II, Enhanced, and activated additional staffing to assist local jurisdictions and monitor the situation. During the day, eight counties, eight cities, and one tribe proclaimed an emergency, and an analysis of the event within the State Emergency Operations Center prompted a draft Governor’s Proclamation for a State of Emergency. Most schools in the Puget Sound region closed or incurred delays due to loss of power and road closures. County 911 Centers became overwhelmed with calls, prompting press releases requesting citizens to call 911 only for life threatening emergencies. Some county and city offices and courts closed or provided only limited services due to loss of power. By 5:30 PM, Governor Gregoire formally proclaimed a State of Emergency for Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Wahkiakum, and Whatcom Counties. The proclamation implemented the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and authorized the use of state resources to assist affected jurisdictions, including activation of the National Guard and State Guard. Six emergency shelters opened within Pierce, Mason, and Snohomish counties.[5] [p. 12]

 

“By Thursday, December 21, 2006, there were more than 260 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning resulting in eight deaths, all of which were in King County. Over 184,000 people in Washington State were still without power. [p. 13]

 

“….In total, fifteen people died. Six of these deaths were directly related to the storm: one individual drowned, wind debris killed four, and one person died due to an energized power line. Nine deaths were indirectly related to the storm: eight from carbon monoxide poisoning and one from a fire caused by improper use of an alternate heat source.” (p. 14)

 

(Washington State Military Department. December 2006 Windstorm Response After Action Report – A Statewide Report to the Governor. WA EMD, March 2007, 82 pages.)

 

Whitely: “As 400,000 utility customers weathered another day without power, a new, lethal consequence of last week’s windstorm emerged: carbon-monoxide poisoning.  A 26-year-old man was found dead in Kirkland on Saturday morning with a generator running in his living room.

 

About 100 other people, including an 11-month-old baby, were treated at Seattle-area hospitals on Saturday after inhaling the fumes of generators and charcoal barbecues dragged indoors.  About a half-dozen were listed in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. Virginia Mason treated about 55 patients in its hyperbaric chamber, which re-oxygenates the blood, and the medical center said it expected more. Some were still sick after the hyperbaric treatment and were admitted to Harborview. ‘We’re dealing with a carbon-monoxide epidemic in Western Washington,’ said Dr. Neil Hampson in the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine at Virginia Mason. ‘This has the potential to be the worst case of carbon-monoxide poisoning in the country’….

 

“Health officials emphasized that the poisoning was preventable with basic precautions, and that quick treatment could stave off long-term brain damage or reduced functioning.”  (Sullivan and Martin 2006)

 

“After three days of trying to cook outside in the cold, [Shah] Fazli decided to seek some shelter and brought the grill inside.  The decision was fatal.  A relative found him unconscious about 9 a.m. Monday after he took the grill into a bedroom and closed the door, said Northshore Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Torpin. Fazli was later pronounced dead at the apartment….The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Tuesday that Fazli died from inhaling carbon monoxide.  He is the seventh person to die as a result of carbon-monoxide poisoning since last week’s windstorms.

 

More than 200 people have been sickened from carbon-monoxide poisoning or asphyxiated by fumes since Thursday night. At Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where scores have been treated, more than 90 percent did not speak English, prompting Public Health — Seattle & King County to issue warnings about the dangers of carbon-monoxide in several languages.”  (Whitely. “7th Victim of Fumes: Afghan Immigrant Moved Grill…” Seattle Times. 12-21-2006.)

 

Sources

 

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  Also at: http://www.training.fema.gov/hiedu/docs/nimsc2/nims%20-%20lab%208%20-%20windstorm%20case%20study.pdf

 

Whitely, Peyton. “7th Victim of Fumes: Afghan Immigrant Moved Grill Indoors.” Seattle Times, 12-21-2006. At: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003488292_stormdead21m.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Cites: Virginia Mason Hospital. Proceedings from the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Epidemic Symposium. 2007.

[2] There isn’t a NWS 2006b in the bibliography. Apparently, then, this is a reference to the 2nd 2006 NWS source: National Weather Service. Public Information Statement. Retrieved January 30, 2007, from www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew.php?pil+PNS&sid=SEW&version=2&format=printer.

[3] U.S. Department of Energy. Pacific Northwest Storms Situation Report #2. Washington, DC: U.S. DOE, 2006.

[4] Puget Sound Energy. Emergency Operations Center UPDATE, December 15, 2006, 12:00. Washington: PSE.

[5] Cites: Washington State Emergency Management Division. Mission 06-3783 Windstorm Situation Report #2. Washington: Washington State Military Department, EMD, 2006.