A single failed transmission line could once leave Washington's Camano Island without power. Now, utility upgrades have given the island a backup connection, which could mean fewer widespread outages when storms strike.

Here's what to know

Camano already has one backup line, added in 2023 to give electricity a second route onto the island, and crews are rebuilding a second line from Stanwood. A new substation on the island's north end has replaced equipment that was decades old, according to the Stanwood Camano News.

"In the past, if the one transmission line to the island experienced an outage, the entire island lost power. Now, if one line goes out, the other transmission line can feed the island, keeping customers in power," Snohomish PUD spokesperson Erica Keene said in an email.

Keene explained that the substation's added capacity could let crews reroute power to reach more customers when conditions allow.

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More background

Crews came from across Washington to help restore service after a December blackout cut electricity to most of Camano, the Stanwood Camano News reported. That blackout was among the widespread outages the island has experienced.

Outages at the neighborhood level will still happen when trees knock out the lines between a substation and someone's house, Keene said, per the Stanwood Camano News. Those outages will likely be shorter than before.

Leaving Camano means using its only exit, the Highway 532 bridge, an access constraint Island County Commissioner Janet St. Clair highlighted at a town hall about winter readiness, per the Stanwood Camano News.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that a strong El Niño was very likely from November through January, according to the Stanwood Camano News. While that pattern generally brings warmer, drier winters to the Northwest, wetter, stormier weather is still possible.

What's being done?

Keeping supplies on hand in case a storm prevents travel off Camano was among the winter readiness recommendations residents heard at the town hall hosted by St. Clair. That household preparation accompanies Snohomish PUD's infrastructure improvements.

Rhonda Paulson, president of the Camano Preparedness Group, said residents might struggle just to get out of their own neighborhood in an emergency, let alone off the island, per the Stanwood Camano News. She recommended having at least 14 days' worth of essential supplies on hand.

A battery paired with solar can add another layer of backup for a household, and EasyHome has options to explore that combination, too. Storing power at home can help offset electricity costs and keep the lights on, whether a fallen tree or a transmission failure is what trips the outage this time.

"Chances are, we are going to have to shelter in place," Paulson told residents at the town hall.

Where can I learn more?

From Washington to a California reservation, communities are upgrading electric grids and adding backup power.

• Washington plans nearly $2 billion in aging grid upgrades as AI drives electricity demand.

• In Lanzarote, Spain, a blackout shut drinking water plants after cutting electricity to 73,600 people.

• Eversource is seeking public input on a new Massachusetts substation to relieve an overloaded grid.

• In New York, NYSEG targets 800 miles of line upgrades as aging equipment tests reliability.

• On a California reservation, solar and battery backup keep tribal services running through blackouts.

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