Downed trees during Saturday’s storm briefly trapped visitors inside Olympic National Park

Strong winds from a weekend storm knocked out power to thousands across western Washington and toppled trees that blocked roads around Olympic National Park.

The outages created problems for homes and businesses, including Mt. Rainier Creamery, where owner Ryan Mensonides said losing refrigeration can quickly become costly.

“The longer we sit with no refrigeration, the higher the risk of spoilage,” Mensonides said.

Mensonides said the farm has backup generators, but keeping them running adds expense.

“For us as a farm, we have backup generators, but I have to run my tractor with $8 diesel for 10 hours,” he said.

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Mensonides said workers were finishing up Saturday when the weather intensified.

“They were finishing up, and the wind started blowing like crazy, and stuff started crashing around,” he said.

The storm also knocked down numerous trees, including around Olympic National Park, where fallen trees blocked roads near several campgrounds and entrances.

Michele Hart said her daughter, who was in the area visiting a friend, was stuck at the park due to trees blocking the roads.

“And then there was another tree in the opposite direction. So, they were stuck for what was it … 21 hours,” Hart said.

Hart said she and her daughter repeatedly called first responders for help as the pair grew increasingly concerned.

“They were getting more and more concerned because they woke up and there was no sign of any help,” Hart said.

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Hart said her daughter and her friend eventually got out after rangers reached them.

“As soon as they brought the rangers to where they were … I don’t know. It was like 40 minutes, and they were out of there,” she said.

Crews continued working to clear fallen trees and restore power following the storm.

Olympic National Park was contacted for additional information about the conditions. A spokesperson said the park was working to provide more details.