News and new worries tonight for what might be heading our way.
First, the good news, like stars beginning to shine through the clouds of a long dark storm,
neighborhood by neighborhood. Lights are returning to more of Spokane's landscape tonight,
but that only makes this difficult week even more frustrating for the many who are still waiting.
And there are still now 25,000 homes in the Spokane area without power.
Washington Water Power crews have accepted the help of some Canadian volunteers to restore power to this area.
But there are so many people working on the lines that Washington Water Power's communication system is maxed out.
And they've had to turn some help away.
But even as crews struggle to get the lights back on in our area, there is the possibility of more outages tomorrow.
City officials are asking residents to be prepared by getting a stock of candles, food, and a battery-operated radio.
They also stress the need for safety.
Well, we have damage estimate. They also have a limited amount of funds available to help those people.
Well, we certainly don't need this new weather, but it's coming anyway.
And let's get the latest now from Elizabeth Gardner.
Well, John and Kerry, I'm going to start off by showing you the latest Doppler radar.
The new system is moving in from the coast right now.
You can see we've got some fairly heavy precipitation through the cascade that was snowing lightly in Seattle even earlier.
So some chilly air associated with this. We're looking at 5 to 10 inches in the cascades.
Over in the inland northwest, we're looking at 1 to 3 inches.
But Spokane and Coeur d'Alene are going to be right on the border of the freezing rain and the snow.
The winter weather advisory is out for all of the cascades, all of eastern Washington, and into north Idaho.
So what we're expecting...
...from this week's disaster will be tremendous and perhaps even more tragic.
At least four people have died this week as a result of the storms.
Among those, the Washington Water Power employee electrocuted on the job.
Now a special fund has been established.
Contributions to the Jimmy Dean Memorial Fund can be directed to any C-1st bank branch.
This 32-year-old gas service worker leaves a 3-year-old son.
Another fund will benefit the wife and two children of a man who died earlier this week.
Gregory Carlson of Colbert was killed when a tree fell on his camper near Yakima.
Despite four days of cold weather and no power, some people are still sticking it out in their homes,
refusing to leave home for warmer shelter.
But as Rebecca Maitland reports, if they're not going to seek out help, help will come to them.
Spokane firefighters are checking up on homes that haven't had power.
Hey there. Fire department. We're just checking to see if we've got power back.
Everybody's okay.
The electricity came back on at most of the homes in this neighborhood last night.
But one was still without.
Still don't have power?
No, because the tree limbs from this house came down on our line.
Vicki Montague had a live line down in her backyard.
We want to keep everybody away from this back.
Firefighters taped off the area until the power company can get to it and checked on the well-being of the family here.
Make sure you're not using any kerosene heaters or propane heaters.
Carbon monoxide poisoning and hypothermia are big concerns.
That's why at homes where no one answered, firefighters left informational flyers and checked in the windows.
If they had any hypothermia, they might be laying down on the ground.
So we're just checking to see if everybody's okay.
They worry most about the elderly.
Being cold is not real conducive to their health and it slows everything down.
And they're already frail enough. They don't need the extra stress on them.
But on this block, everyone seemed okay.
So firefighters moved on to the next, looking for people in need of help.
Now there have been several cases of hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning in the Spokane area already.
Two people have died, but emergency crews have gotten to most before it's too late.
Now if you do use some type of makeshift heating, you'll want to look out for these signs of carbon monoxide poisoning,
headache, dizziness and weakness, chest pain, nausea and vision problems.
And the signs of hypothermia are the inability to feel warm even with several layers of clothing on,
uncontrolled shivering and problems with coordination.
Now prolonged exposure to either the cold or carbon monoxide can lead to death.
So if you have any of these symptoms, call for help immediately.
Reporting live in Spokane, Rebecca Maitland, News 4.
All right, well the cold has been tough on some people's water heaters.
Some of them have been splitting at the seams.
With nothing to keep them warm, the water in those tanks can freeze and then expand.
And we're told that some heaters have actually burst in the area.
Those kept in the garage or away from the main part of the house are especially susceptible.
And for some still without power, it might be a good idea to drain the water from your heater,
if it is far from the main heat sources, and switch it off at the breaker.
The reason you want to do things like that is just so that one power is brought back on again,
that you're not taking a chance of damaging the water heater by the thing firing up with no water in it.
And we are also told that in most cases, warranties will not cover damage from the cold.
Well, this was supposed to be a week of big buildup for the Apple.
I'm coming through someone's porch.
Film processing businesses in the Idle and Northwest are busy dealing with the aftermath.
This is a big thing for people around here, so they're taking a lot of pictures.
89 and 90.
Insurance agencies have dropped off big loads for one-day processing.
Dozens of homeowners have brought in their own rolls, some to show to insurance agents,
some to show to their grandchildren.
A lot of people are just taking pictures of things that they see just in the middle of the street,
that kind of thing, because it's pretty incredible going on out there.
Manager Mike Kegley at the South Hill Store says business is usually slow this time of year,
but now you can feel the presence of the storm, negatives tangled like tree limbs and power lines,
the hum of machines running hour after hour trying to fill the orders,
and every picture a reminder of the widespread destruction outside.
And they will have pictures to go on with these many tales of what's happened this past week.
That's right. Well, some more stories now.
If your freezer or refrigerator has been down because of power failure,
you might be concerned about what to do with meat that may have thawed.
Well, Cattails Conservation Park in Mead will take any surplus meat you might want to get rid of.
They have plenty of cougars and other big cats who will enjoy the feast.
Call the park at 238-4126. That's 238-4126 if you would like to donate.
Animals generally have had a rough week, too, with these freezing temperatures,
and some of our fine feathered friends who cannot fly south for the winter
are finding a warm roost in the Spokane Valley.
Wings and Things on East Trent is offering to bored birds whose owners have no heat.
That is just one of many ways that this community has really responded to help each other out.
And pet experts have told us that especially with the birds, the birds cannot handle the cold.
Your cat or dog can hang out until it gets below 20 degrees, but if you have a bird,
you might want to think of coming up with some sort of alternate storage or safety for that bird.
Sure. Well, we've been talking about the potential problem coming here in the next couple of days.
A couple of storms bearing down on the island northwest tonight.
Elizabeth Gardner will have that update for us coming up,
but first here is...