Washington city closes schools all week after damaging storm
Posted November 23, 2015 6:00 am
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Public schools will be closed for the rest of the week in Washington state's second-largest city as it deals with the aftermath of a destructive windstorm that has left tens of thousands without power for nearly a week.
Spokane Public Schools decided Monday afternoon to cancel classes all week for the district's 29,000 students. The district said downed power lines and trees blocking sidewalks where children walk pose a danger and led to the closure.
Kids haven't been in school since last Tuesday, when a windstorm snapped power poles and toppled trees that crashed through roofs and crushed cars. Three people died when trees fell on their vehicles.
Some 33,000 customers are still without power in Spokane County after the storm damaged the electrical grid. The forecast calls for snow Monday night.
A tall fir rests in the garage loft Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Olympia, Wash, that crashed through the roof of Stan and Becky Parker's detached garage in Olympia,Wash., the day before. Cleanup began Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
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A group of men paddle a canoe across a flooded roadway along the Snoqualmie River near the peak of the river's height there, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Carnation, Wash. Cleanup crews took to the streets Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. The winds on Tuesday exceeded 100 mph in some areas of the Inland Northwest, where fallen trees were blamed for the deaths. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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Aaron Ervin sweeps water out of a refrigeration shop after over three feet of water, marked by the dark portion on the wall behind him, flooded the business the night before, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Sultan, Wash. Cleanup crews took to the streets Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. The winds on Tuesday exceeded 100 mph in some areas of the Inland Northwest, where fallen trees were blamed for the deaths. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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A car passes a billboard sign flapping in the wind Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, near Bremerton, Wash. Rain, high winds, and power outages were expected throughout the Puget Sound area into the night due to a Pacific storm system. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Joe Phelan, left, and Mitch Chapman, from Double D Tree, remove a tree, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Olympia, Wash, that crashed through the roof of Stan and Becky Parker's detached garage in Olympia,Wash., the day before. Cleanup began Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
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Hollie Burke, left, and Brooke Crone examine Croneâs car covered in power lines Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Spokane Wash., after multiple trees fell and knocked down utility lines from a storm the day before. Cleanup began Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP) COEUR D'ALENE PRESS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
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Jay Bly checks out the damage to his home in Spokane, Wash., Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, after a Norway spruce fell on his house the day before. Cleanup began Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP) COEUR D'ALENE PRESS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
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