NEWS GLEAMS | Bomb Cyclone Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Without Power; Boeing Lays Off Over 2,000 Local Workers

Summary

Bomb Cyclone Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

Boeing Lays Off Over 2,000 Local Workers

United Indians of All Tribes Hosts Indigenous Resource Fair

Approximately 640,000 residents across Western Washington lost power beginning Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, after a large windstorm – labeled a "bomb cyclone" due to its quickly changing nature – passed through the Pacific Northwest. About 400,000 of those who lost energy are serviced by Puget Sound Energy and located outside of the City of Seattle.

The storm reached up to 74 miles per hour in some areas, leading to at least two deaths. In Lynnwood, a falling tree killed an individual in a homeless encampment. In Bellevue, a woman died when a tree fell on her home.

Other accidents included a tree that fell on a King County Metro truck, and a semi-truck that jackknifed on I-90 near Cle Elum, leading to long freeway closures. Several flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport also experienced rerouting prior to the onset of the storm.

In general, the Washington State Department of Transportation has warned of potential long closures on freeways throughout the region. Power restoration may also take several days.

The impact of the storm was felt from as far south as Northern California and as far north as British Columbia. Overall recovery in Western Washington may be even further delayed by an extremely wet “atmospheric river” coming through the area starting Wednesday evening, followed by another potential bomb cyclone which may take place on Friday.

The National Weather Service describes a bomb cyclone, which is more formally named a “bombogenesis,” as a cyclone that takes place midlatitude – or between the tropics and solar regions – which intensifies across a period of 24 hours. It is created by a collision of cold and warm air masses that lead to a quick drop in atmospheric pressure.

Just two weeks after the 33,000 Boeing workers of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) accepted Boeing’s contract offer, thereby ending their 53-day strike, Boeing has laid off 2,199 Washington state workers. Workers across 25 cities were affected as a part of Boeing’s efforts to cut 10% of its workforce – or about 17,000 jobs – across all of their facilities. More layoffs are expected.

According to the Seattle Times, the greatest number of affected workers were from the Everett facilities, where 1,160 of the roughly 35,000 workers were laid off. It's reported 337 were from offices in Renton, 235 from Seattle, 148 from Tukwila, 136 from Auburn, and 79 from Kent. 

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg had originally announced the job cuts on October 11 and followed through with them at the outset of this week. Many types of positions were affected, though workers from IAM are not expected to be impacted.

The Native Workforce Program at the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF) will be hosting a resource fair on November 22.

The event will feature DJ Big Rez of Daybreak Star Radio, who will spin a selection of Native music, as well as dinner offerings from Native Soul Cuisine. Opportunities will also exist for participants to learn about potential trainings, available resources, and job offerings from local businesses. There will also be giveaways of things such as Orca cards for transit.

The Indigenous Community Resource Fair takes place on November 22nd, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the International District / Chinatown Community Center (719 8th Avenue South). Learn more on UIATF’s Instagram page.