Kent schools will be closed for a third day in a row on Friday, Nov. 22 as 17 schools remain without power after the Nov. 19-20 windstorm.
“We appreciate your understanding as we continue to prioritize the safety of our students and staff in the aftermath of this severe windstorm,” according to a Thursday evening, Nov. 21 Kent School District statement. “We are working diligently with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to reopen our schools.”
PSE estimates that power will be restored by Saturday, Nov. 23. As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, 224,184 PSE customers remained without power in its coverage area.
“We plan to have the majority of customers back online by Saturday at noon,” according to a PSE statement. “Many customers will have power restored sooner. However, we don’t have more specific information for many of our customers at this time, particularly in King County, which was most impacted by the storm, because of the extent of damage on the transmission system. As soon as we have estimates we can count on, we will share them immediately.”
In addition to schools without power, the Kent School District has three schools with unsafe conditions. The district has 44 schools.
“Our facilities and maintenance teams are continuing to work on removing debris and downed trees,” according to the district. “Because there are still many schools without power and there may be hazardous roads and walking routes due to downed trees and power lines, there will be no school on Friday, Nov. 22.”
The administration campus has had power restored and will be open Friday and operating on its normal schedule.
“Our thoughts are with our families, staff, and community members who have been directly impacted by this storm,” according to the district statement. “We know this has been a challenging time for many, and we want you to know that your safety and well-being remain our priority.
“We also want to express our deepest gratitude to our incredible facilities, maintenance, and networking teams for their tireless efforts to address the damage and prepare our schools to reopen. Their dedication and hard work behind the scenes ensure our schools are safe and ready to welcome students and staff back as soon as possible.”
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