OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Electrical repair linesmen working at a Puget Sound Energy substation just a few blocks from the Washington state Capitol in Olympia had their hands full. In the wake of a powerful snowstorm, a large branch had fallen on transmission lines running to the substation, pulling down a power pole at the same time.
The old pole lay on the ground, tangled in ice-covered bushes that dropped ice on the workers as they moved around it Friday.
Apprentice linesman Tyler Fairchild of Tacoma described the work facing the crew. Then he added, “We have a long way to go.”
Gov. Chris Gregoire stopped by to thank the crew — and deliver peanut butter cookies.
Even the Capitol was in the dark for a while after this week’s storm.
Gregoire called the days of storm weather a disaster, and added, “It’s a constant reminder of who’s in charge. Mother Nature is in charge, she gives us a wake-up call every once in a while, this is one of those.”
