Business owners in the Chinatown-International District have filed claims against Seattle City Light (SCL) for losses and damages after a four-night planned power outage left them scrambling to contend with reduced hours, spoiled inventory, and lack of proper communication.
On Oct. 28, Chinatown-International District (CID) Vision Group and other community organizers held a meeting at Tabletop Village with SCL representatives to debrief and discuss a planned outage that lasted for four successive nights in mid-September. Business owners said they were not adequately notified about the length of the outage, with some establishments receiving no notification at all.
Customers at at least 20 properties that lost power, including businesses and residential spaces, were notified of the outage beforehand. But SCL said a mapping error did not identify another 46 properties, which meant those customers did not receive prior notification about the outage.
At the meeting, Brendan Armstrong, SCL's interim chief operating officer, said the notification process for the outage was "inconsistent and not adequate."
"I am sorry that this happened, the impact that it had on the community," Armstrong said, "because it was not acceptable, and that's not the experience you should expect at Seattle City Light."
At least 12 claims have been filed for lost revenue, inventory, wages, and other physical or emotional impairments caused by the outage, according to SCL. The utility company suggests customers file any claims by Nov. 30, but they have up to three years.
As of the meeting, there were no additional planned outages for the CID, according to SCL.
Organizers showed a video taken by a CID resident that captured pitch-black streets near Donnie Chin International Children's Park on South Lane Street and Seventh Avenue South. The resident only knew about an initial one-day outage through a notice in the mail room of his apartment building.
"Complete darkness, it's not safe," the resident said in the video.
An SCL map of the planned outages predicted that affected areas would span about four blocks between South King and South Charles streets and Sixth Avenue South and I-5. However, customers two blocks north of the planned outage area, on Fifth Avenue South and South Jackson Street, also reported losing power.
But even those who did receive notification of the outage were caught off guard. On July 30, the CID's underground electrical system was damaged by a vault fire caused by an equipment failure, according to SCL, and crews made temporary repairs to restore power. The September outages were planned so the utility could make permanent repairs.
From Sept. 4 to 8, SCL crews used door hangers to notify businesses and residents about a planned one-day outage, scheduled for Sept. 17 from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sept. 18, Armstrong said. But three days before the outage was to begin, crews noticed "additional work" was required and notified the area that the outage would start sooner and also cover Sept. 14–16.
The minimum notification period for a scheduled outage is supposed to begin five days before, Armstrong said.
Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) Executive Director Tuyen Than said she walked around the neighborhood the first night of the outage and saw parts of Japantown in the dark.
"Chengdu Memory had their power out, and there were still people sitting inside having dinner," Than said. "They were just using their phones to eat because they needed to eat."
"That first day, I was like, 'This sucks, but it's fine,'" Gan Bei Eatery and Bar manager Yen M. said to SCL representatives. "And then when you guys add an additional three days, that was where the franticness started to happen."
In September, Yen M. reported the last-minute outage forced her to close up shop earlier than usual for nearly a week, resulting in a roughly 50–70% loss in revenue. Staff was forced to move food into freezers in their homes and the homes of their friends by the second night.
"Seattle is quite expensive, so every day counts for revenue for trying to keep the lights on," Yen M. said, "[to] keep the business here, keep all our customers happy."
Attendees strongly urged SCL to rethink the use of door hangers to alert people to an outage, noting that the neighborhood has many elderly and non-English-speaking residents.
"There are some buildings where the entire building of 100 residents don't speak English, and they rely on caregivers to survive," Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) Executive Director Michael Itti said. "When they get a door hanger, no one's going to be able to read that. They don't have email, so they're going to rely on the word of mouth, the personal touch, to be able to understand what's going on."
In the future, planned power outage door hangers will be available in 10 languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Mandarin, and contain a phone number that leads to language assistance, according to the utility. SCL representatives said they are "exploring other avenues to notify," including a pilot program that can text or email an affected resident for planned or unplanned outages.
Attendees discussed measures for addressing future outages, including suggestions about a possible point of contact for SCL and providing generators for the neighborhood.
Tabletop Village owner Brian Myers stayed for four nights at work to act as security when the power was down. "We're already bombarded by bad media, bad press," said Myers, "and then we lose power."
To get a claim form, customers can visit www.seattle.gov/riskmanagement or call 206-684-8213 to request a form in the mail. Customers can also pick up forms at the City Clerk's Office at 600 Fourth Ave.
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