A historically strong bomb cyclone hit Washington state on Nov. 19, 2024. A once-in-a-decade storm, bomb cyclones, according to The Weather Channel, are typically recognized by “wind gusts [that] often exceed 50 mph” and intense precipitation. The NOAA defines bomb cyclones with the term bombogenesis: “A term used by meteorologists, occurs when a midlatitude (the latitudes between the tropics and polar regions) cyclone rapidly intensifies, or strengthens, over a 24 hour period.” The storm that rattled the Pacific Northwest was quite a rare phenomenon, yet it was as devastating as any other. According to the Seattle Times, “Nearly half a million customers lost power Tuesday night (Nov.19), and by Friday morning (Nov. 22) more than 170,000 remained without electricity in King County alone.” The cyclone also proved to be deadly with two reported deaths, both from incidents regarding a tree collapsing. The unique direction of the winds for this storm made trees more susceptible to uprooting, as roots from past windstorms were meant to support winds from the West but this storm had devastating winds from the East. Besides the physical nature of the storm with falling trees and power lines, the bomb cyclone also proved life-endangering in other ways, according to the Seattle Times. “Across Washington nearly 53,000 people require electricity to stay alive, usually to keep their medical equipment functioning.”
Along with being a once-in-a-decade phenomenon, many of the local Issaquah community members and surrounding areas were affected by the bomb cyclone. Junior Penelope Krause reminds us about the devastation such extreme weather events can have on people’s day of life. When asked about where and how she was feeling at the moment, she described how “I was walking my dog when the storm started picking up near my house, and it started getting extremely windy, and I rushed back inside my house.” In terms of house damage and surrounding streets, Krause adds that many branches fell on her house and even cracked a glass table outside on their deck. She also adds how big trees in her neighborhood fell and blocked the roads, making it almost impossible to leave houses. The bomb cyclone serves as a stark reminder of the growing intensity of weather events and the safety risks that are becoming more and more apparent. Additionally, among those affected was sophomore Abhi Kothapalli’s family, whose house was struck by a massive oak tree during the storm. The impact tore through the roof, leaving their home uninhabitable. “It was terrifying,” Abhi said, describing the moment the tree came crashing down. The damage is so extensive that repairs are expected to take up to a year, forcing the family to seek temporary housing and navigate a challenging recovery process. This illustrates the challenges that many residents have had to face in the past week, as well as the feeling of uncertainty that has been spreading across the community amidst the aftermath. Krause also finished off by adding how much of the huge debris blocking roads in her neighborhoods has not been properly dealt with, emphasizing the importance of community precaution and how many residents are still waiting for recovery efforts in their area. These stories are two of many as residents across the Pacific Northwest grapple with the long road to recovery in the aftermath of the cyclone.
The bomb cyclone was an unexpected test to Washingtons current infrastructure, as it caused some of the largest power outages in recent state history as well as damaging and blocking roads. The widespread destruction, through the thousands of fallen trees, has raised the most concern, as they not only damaged power lines, but crushed homes, blocked major roads and killed two people in Washington. Making major changes infrastructurally to prevent more trees from falling would be inefficient, as bomb cyclones are extremely uncommon on the west coast, however, the speed at which everything got fixed must be improved. It creates a worry that if something similar happens, we will remain unprepared. The lack of immediate action or improvements, according to the Seattle Times, “Proves we’re in desperate need of significant upgrades as utilities rush to wean themselves off fossil fuels, add renewable power and the transmission lines to match.” The new awareness of the current issues with our outdated infrastructure, forced or not, is a chance to implement new major improvements that are needed to either prevent or better react to other emergencies. Some Washington residents saw the damage caused by the devastating wind firsthand, like senior Mario Araujo who says, “I saw a powerline get knocked over by a tree then dragged around by it.” During this, he says, “The power lines were tearing through my neighbor’s home.” This destruction is just one example of how detrimental infrastructure is towards people’s safety, not just their comfort of life. Preparing for emergencies before they can happen is the best way to prevent more harm from happening, and Washington must start preparing now. Either through some new infrastructure or investing in better means to help during the aftermath, something must be done to prevent so many difficulties from happening again.
Although a bomb cyclone is very unlikely to strike Washington again soon, the way that the state reacted to it is a stark reminder that we must always remain prepared for an emergency. Even if there might not be another massive windstorm, keeping the possibility of another disaster infrastructurally in mind as Washington rebuilds the current damage is a necessity. How future Washington residents can handle other emergencies is dependent on their situation, but the death of two cannot be ignored, if anything they must remind people of the importance of safety and the threat of danger, no matter how small.
