Some still without power during coldest weather of season

Some people throughout the Puget Sound region are still without power, and Friday morning had the coldest temperatures of this fall so far.

On Thursday night, Zach Malm, who lives in Mountlake Terrace, said that he had been without power for over 40 hours.

“You know, the whole cul-de-sac is out. And it’s extra frustrating because you know, we can look past this cul-de-sac and I can see the next street down has power,” said Malm.

He said his family has had to gather in the living room with a mattress and blankets in order to stay warm and the majority of the food in their fridges has to be thrown out.

“We have a gas fireplace that is our one source of heat right now,” said Malm. “We’ve been having to go and buy meals and we are going to have to throw out the groceries we bought. So, this is going to cost us. And I don’t know what we will end up paying to have the gas fireplace on all day.”

The family said they don’t want to depend on a utility company for power and are now considering installing solar panels to avoid being in such a situation again.

While Malm and his family has been able to stay warm with their gas-powered fireplace, he understands a lot of people in the area aren’t as lucky.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t have that,” Malm said.

For people who have no source of heat, or even a home, there are cold weather shelters.

Highline United Methodist Church in Burien is one of the many shelters open in King County. Pastor Jenny Partch said the church is happy to open its doors to people in need.

“Some of them are living in their cars. Many are just living on the streets. But they always say that we see them as people and that’s important,” Partch said.

At times, some people have come in seeking medical attention.

“It is truly life or death,” Partch said. “We’ve had folks come here that we’ve had to transport to the hospital because it’s getting too risky for them.”