Back story

A wind storm hit the Pacific Northwest on Thursday night, knocking out power here. The blackout ranges from the waterfront east to the mountains 60 miles away, and at least that far north to south. All of Seattle's suburbs are affected. Utility crews are working to restore power. Hospitals and other critical facilities have first priority.

Many residents here remember the Inauguration Day blackouts in the early 1990s. Others have begun to realize the implications: No electricity means no stove, and no refrigerator. Food and warmth become an obsession.

Free ice cream

A few grocery stores are running on reserve power. Under limited lights and without heat, they are doing a landslide business in firewood, batteries and candles -- but they are also throwing out costly frozen foods by the ton.

One grocer opened and started giving away ice cream. Dairy products, once allowed to rise above temperatures mandated by the Department of Health, cannot be sold. All meats and dairy have already been removed from the shelves. The frozen food aisle is roped off.

Eating out not an option

Restaurants are closed and dark. An espresso stand with a generator has lines of cars extending out onto the street. That's only a hint of the traffic congestion.

All streets are clogged. Without traffic lights, every intersection is a four-way stop, and most drivers don't quite remember the rules. At the bottom of each offramp is an intersection whose backup extends onto the freeway, so the freeways are unusually slow for a day when hardly anyone has a reason to go to work.

Out of gas

Gas stations cannot pump gas or process payments, so they are closed. Desperate rivers -- whether stuck in traffic, searching for open facilities, or gawking at downed trees -- have wasted what they had in their tanks.

Cost of a blackout

Observers calculated the aggregate cost of the Northeast blackouts in 2003, and they eventually will do the same for Seattle. What did your most recent blackout cost your business?