The bomb cyclone storm caused widespread destruction that devastated the West coast. Trees fell, power lines were destroyed, and thousands of people were left with no power. Unable to use their fridge, internet, or light switches, people were left anxious and bored. However, some of the worst aspects of the storm led to positive outcomes, as families and communities were brought together in unexpected and inspiring ways.

A few students in the community described and shared their experiences, showing how they were impacted by the storm. Campbell Garvey, a sophomore at IHS described how her family lost power for five days, including their internet. This forced her family to bond and connect on a different level than normal. Garvey and her younger sister helped the community by cleaning up debris in their neighborhood. Nyla Knipp, a freshman shared that her home was not personally affected by the winds of the storm, but the local Issaquah Taco Bell and other buildings took lots of damage. She says seeing that allowed her to process how bad the storm was. Both Garvey and Knipp described how the shortage of internet made them closer to their families, and how the extra time allowed catching up on schoolwork before winter sports tryouts and big tests in the upcoming week. Knipp shared how the community came together during the storm. As a member of the Issaquah Girls Basketball program Knipp shared how Skyline offered their gym space to the team, allowing them to complete tryouts so that the team had enough practice time before upcoming games when the IHS gym had no power or heat. This small act allowed many opportunities for the team and is truly inspiring to the community of the helping hands many are receiving, and many are sharing uplifting positivity through a tough time. While others are transitioning through similar experiences, showing courage and kindness to contribute positively to the community and to others within shows how great the community is when we can set everything aside, and come together for the better of the community.  Garvey describes how it was tough without internet and power, leading to boredom. She soon realized that many of these moments at home are cherished because time goes by fast, and spending time with your family is valuable. The storm, which allowed them to bond and spend more time together without worries of work or school, and Garvey appreciated this aspect of the time off.

Wesley Yoo, a freshman at IHS, shared a little about her experience during the outage. When asked how her and her family were affected, she stated that they “lost power from Tuesday to Friday night, and we had to sleep all together in the same room because it was too cold.” She shared how she felt like she took hot water and warmth for granted because all the water in her house was cold for 3 days. Despite all this, Yoo says the outage also had some positive outcomes, like taking off the stress of school for a couple of days. She also stated that she and her family got to know each other better, with no electronics to distract them. Even though she and her family were without power for 3 days, Yoo is still able to look on the bright side and share how they got closer together during the storm.

Surrounded by fallen trees and power lines, it would be easy for family members to stay isolated in their own fear and anxiety. However, families were able to foster even stronger relationships with each other as they stayed optimistic during the storm. Whether it was taking a much-needed break from school or work, being able to pause from the internet, or playing board games with family, looking at the bright side can be beneficial when a situation seems grim. Community members volunteered to clean up wreckage and supported those who needed it. The takeaway from this storm is the strength of bonded communities coming together when faced with trials and tribulations.