A downed tree in Port Ludlow cut off Internet and telephone service, including 9-1-1, as blustery winds raked Jefferson and Clallam counties Tuesday evening.
The winds also knocked out power to customers in Jefferson County, downtown Sequim, the east end of Clallam County and parts of Port Angeles — and were powerful enough to sink a boathouse at the Port Angeles Boat Haven.
The boathouse sank after it was apparently blown over, authorities said.
No boats were inside, and one was injured.
At one point, Jefferson County road crews had a backlog of at least 15 roads with downed trees and branches they had to clear.
“There’s all kinds of outages all over because of the wind,” Clallam County Public Utility District No. 1 Manager Dennis Bickford said.
For about an hour and a half, residents in Clallam County could not call 9-1-1 after a Qwest fiber optic cable line that provides telecommunications on the North Olympic Peninsula was damaged by a large tree.
9-1-1 service was restored by about 6:30 p.m. when it was rerouted through police departments and the Sheriff’s Department’s seven-digit business lines.
The damaged line also affected cell phones and Internet access, and prevented Qwest customers in Jefferson County and Clallam County’s East End from calling long distance.
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News.
