Photos
In addition to snow and ice, the third theme of the day was the number of downed trees throughout the county, many falling onto power lines resulting in outages or falling across the road and blocking traffic.
“It was ugly this morning,” Snaza said about the weather, saying it was worse than Wednesday because of the freezing rain that fell Thursday morning. He urged drivers to remain cautious in this weather even if you’re driving a four-wheel drive because “it takes just as long to stop on ice.”
Snaza and Braniff’s tour wound through Olympia and Tumwater, then headed south to Grand Mound, before turning east to Tenino, Rainier and Yelm. They then headed back to Olympia via Lacey.
Here’s what they encountered along the way:
• A downed tree temporarily blocked traffic in the 1500 block of Fones Road in Olympia.
• A car stuck in the snow at Hoffman Road and Morse-Merryman Road in Olympia, which Braniff helped push clear.
• A car accident on southbound Interstate 5, near 113th Avenue S.W., in which it appeared the car had struck the guardrail, then road the guardrail before coming to a halt.
• Several power outages and downed trees along Old Highway 99.
• A tree in the 400 block of H Street in Tenino which fell and damaged a mobile home.
• Widespread power outages in Yelm.
• Several downed trees at Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.
• Long lines for gasoline at a station next to the Red Wind Casino in Nisqually. Car lines likely formed because power was out in the area, preventing several stations from pumping gas. Snaza and Braniff checked with one car owner who had pulled off the road and learned that she had run out of gasoline while searching for gasoline.
• A tree that fell onto a car on Marvin Road near Martin Way.
Another area hit hard by the ice and snow was along state Route 507 between Tenino and Rainier. Several downed trees lined the highway and some fell completely across it. At one point, Snaza and Braniff stopped to assist others to clear downed tree debris so that traffic could start moving again.
Braniff, who also spent 25 years with the Washington State Patrol, reminded drivers to be prepared for the weather and to think carefully about their traveling route beforehand.
If you have to travel, bring blankets, tire chains and prepare for the unexpected, whether it’s snow, slush, downed trees or other drivers, he said.
“If you don’t have to be anywhere, stay home,” Braniff said.
Another recommendation Snaza had for drivers is to make sure snow is cleared from the top of their vehicles. Once a car or truck is piled high with snow and is under way, it becomes a visibility issue for other drivers, he said.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403
rboone@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/bizblog
