1 p.m. update
We bought lunch this afternoon for a half dozen technicians from the Portland area before saying goodbye. These men had all volunteered to travel from home and help us to repair devastation in Snohomish County. There’s still more to be done, but we have the people for that in Puget Sound. In fact, we’re preparing to send off several technicians from Western Washington who have volunteered to help with storm restoration in Spokane County this weekend and next week. Utility companies in Spokane are saying their repairs, which we depend on, will continue in Spokane for several more days. See below for more of today’s update.
8:30 a.m. update
There are two areas of focus Friday as Washington recovers from the storm earlier this week: Snohomish and Spokane counties. As power companies clear areas for Comcast crews to enter, we’re finding considerable damage to plant. We have reports of 200 spans of fiber and line down in Spokane County, with more being discovered as more areas are opened to us. So our field offices in Snohomish and Spokane counties are bustling with activity.
Power companies estimate restoration of services in Spokane will continue into next week. That’s why we’ve already sent crews from Western Washington over the mountains to help. About 50 of the 150 Comcast employees in Spokane who are working on storm recovery still don’t have power at their own homes. We’re arranging for even more techs from Western Washington to head to Spokane and continue repairs into next week, as power is restored in areas.
We are often unable to provide a repair ETA because of the extensive damage to the network. Oftentimes, we cannot enter areas until power crews have completed their restoration and made the area safe. It’s sometimes only then we can see the extent of damage and can make repairs. In addition, as power comes up throughout a region, crews move around.
This is also why there can be a lag time between when power comes up and when your services are restored. The good news is that more than 99 percent of the time, when your power comes up, your Xfinity products and services come back up. If you don’t see the services return, it’s good to perform a powercycle to “freshen up” the equipment.
On some occasions, you may have power at home but not Comcast services. This is usually due to damage in the network around you. We are grateful for your faith and patience.
Comcast crews are working hard today and will be working hard through the weekend and next week to restore service as quickly as they can and as safely as they can. We want services restored to each and every Comcast customer.
Please click here for earlier storm recovery reports.
