BENTON CO., Wash – People of Benton and Franklin Counties were left cleaning up the mess in the wake of a powerful wind storm Friday night. Downed trees in the street blocked traffic in some areas. Some trees fell over onto structures, or power lines, causing thousands of people to go without power in the overnight hours. Some were still without power by Saturday afternoon. Benton PUD posted on social media and said it doesn’t have a timeline as to when power will be restored to all customers.
People in Richland clear away a large evergreen that landed partially in the roadway. Photo courtesy of Michelle Smith of Richland
In Richland, Bob and Michelle Smith were helping clean up a large evergreen tree that had toppled over in their neighborhood. With the help of several others, the team was able to have it mostly cleared away by 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Bob said it was at least a 30 minute wait as cars were lined up clear to the highway at the Richland Landfill. Despite the wait, the staff kept things efficient, according to the Smiths. “They were doing a good job keeping it moving,” Bob said.
Vehicles line up outside the Richland Landfill waiting to unload debris from Friday night’s storms. Photo courtesy of Bob Smith of Richland
Columbia Park in both Richland and Kennewick was hit hard. Tree limbs had snapped and littered one of the main roadways through the park on the Kennewick side. Also in Richland, a large tree was uprooted in John Dam Plaza, its roots not able to stop the wind from blowing the trunk on its side.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported downed trees across the county and a large trampoline was tossed into a house. The sheriff’s office also said there were trailers that had tipped over in the powerful wind.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, less than 100 people in Benton County remained without power. Benton PUD said it will continue to work throughout the night to get every customer powered up again. At one point at the height of the storm, more than 2,000 people were without power, the majority of the households reporting from Prosser.
Beware of scams
People whose property is hit by a natural disaster can be hit twice if they are not careful. Unfortunately, this is a time when scammers seem to come out everywhere and prey on people who are looking to get repairs done. This is also a time when people will post fake fundraising pages, asking for help and using pictures of damage found on social media. Beware of scammers using phone, text, mail and email to get to their target. Scammers will even go door to door.
What if someone calls and says they are with a government disaster agency? If this happens, people should immediately hang up and look up the official number from that government agency. NEVER reveal personal information until it is confirmed to be a legitimate agency. Workers and government agents who go door to door are required to carry official identification. They are not allowed to ask for or accept money.
People should never give out personal information if they receive a call about an insurance claim or policy. If that caller claims to be from a legitimate insurance company, people should hang up immediately and call that agency directly. If a contractor or home improvement company claims to be with an insurance company, NEVER give out policy numbers, coverage details or other personal information.
ALSO ON YAKTRINEWS.COM:
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY YAKTRINEWS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.