{ "id": "2024-07-06-university-of-washington-tacoma-power-outage", "slug": "university-of-washington-tacoma-power-outage-2024-07-06", "institution": { "name": "University of Washington Tacoma", "shortName": "UW Tacoma", "state": "WA", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "UW Alert", "alertPlatform": "Rave", "enrollment": 5000 }, "incident": { "date": "2024-07-06", "endDate": "2024-08-07", "type": "power-outage", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "headline": "Power outage, July 6, 2024", "summary": "Shortly before 6:00 AM PDT on Saturday, July 6, 2024, a [single-vehicle crash](https://komonews.com/news/local/fatal-crash-leaves-tacoma-businesses-and-uw-campus-powerless-for-possibly-weeks-pacific-avenues-electrical-system-power-outage-university-officials-cancellation-suspended-operations) on South 21st Street and Pacific Avenue killed the driver and destroyed UW Tacoma's high-voltage switch gear in the Cragle parking lot, the central node that electrifies most of the urban campus. [UW Tacoma issued UW Alerts](https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/fa/safety/emergency-updates) suspending in-person operations and moving classes remote. Combined with a regional heat wave, the [outage forced campus closure for two full weeks](https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/uw-tacoma-launches-plan-to-restore-power-after-2-week-outage), with generator-powered operations beginning July 22 and full city-power restoration on August 7.", "outcome": "In-person operations suspended July 6; classes shifted to remote. Generator-based Phase 1 power restoration completed July 22, allowing reopening for summer instruction. Full Tacoma Power restoration completed August 7. Phase 3 (permanent switch gear replacement) was projected to take 18 months. One person died in the crash; no university community members were injured.", "resolution": "confirmed-threat", "casualties": { "killed": 1, "injured": 0 } }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "Saturday morning, July 6, 2024, shortly after 6:00 AM PDT", "channel": "sms", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "sourceUrl": "https://komonews.com/news/local/fatal-crash-leaves-tacoma-businesses-and-uw-campus-powerless-for-possibly-weeks-pacific-avenues-electrical-system-power-outage-university-officials-cancellation-suspended-operations", "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from KOMO News reporting on the fatal July 6, 2024 crash that destroyed UW Tacoma's electrical infrastructure and triggered a campus-wide UW Alert", "annotations": [] }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "Monday, July 8, 2024, morning, PDT", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "On Saturday, July 6, shortly before 6 a.m., a tragic car accident resulted in severe damage to the campus electrical system in the Cragle parking lot. This has led to a campus-wide power outage, with the exception of Court 17 and other limited areas. We are working closely with multiple agencies to identify a solution. We do not yet have an estimated day or time for power to be restored.\n\nRemote working/learning week of 7/8 through 7/13\n\nFor the period of Monday, July 8, through Saturday, July 13, in-person operations will be suspended. Learning and working will continue remotely where possible. We remain in suspended operations today.\n\nDue to HVAC systems being out and the current forecast of high temperatures this week, it is not safe to be on campus unless you are essential personnel. Please do not come to campus.\n\nContinuity of learning for faculty and students\n\nFaculty should consult the instructional continuity website for guidance: https://teaching.washington.edu/course-design/instructional-continuity/.\n\nStudents should seek guidance from their instructors as needed.\n\nGuidance for staff\n\nThe UWHR website provides information about pay and leave practices during suspended operations. If you have additional questions, contact UW Tacoma HR at uwthr@uw.edu or 253-692-4701.\n\nInformation Technology\n\nInformation Technology support and resources can be found here: https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/it. Contact UW Tacoma IT at tachelp@uw.edu or 253-692-HELP (4356), if you need assistance during regular hours (Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.).\n\nPlease work with your supervisors and/or deans as needed. Thank you for your flexibility following this incident, as well as taking all measures to ensure your own safety and the safety of others while operations are disrupted.\n\nSincerely,\n\nSheila Edwards Lange, Ph.D.\nChancellor", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/campus-power-outage-remote-working/learning-week-7/8-7/13", "sourceDescription": "UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange campus communication (July 7, 2024)", "annotations": [ "Issued Monday morning, July 8, 2024, two days after the crash, after engineers determined the switch gear was unrecoverable", "The Chancellor's announcement explicitly tied the closure to two compounding factors: power loss and a regional heat wave that made the campus dangerously hot without HVAC" ], "characterCount": 1904 }, { "sequence": 3, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "Friday, July 12, 2024, PDT", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "I am so impressed by how our campus has pulled together to navigate the power outage following Saturday’s tragic car accident. As you know, the accident destroyed critical electrical infrastructure we need to power our campus.\n\nUpdate on work to restore power\n\nTeams including staff and leaders from UW Tacoma, along with representatives from UW’s central emergency management and IT, have been working tirelessly to identify a solution to the outage. The extent of the damage is significant. Here is what we know now, which is encouraging as we believe we have identified the components of a solution:\n\nThe equipment needed to restore power is not readily available. A refurbished piece of equipment has been located. It needs to be evaluated for compatibility and tested to ensure it is working properly.\nCable was damaged in the accident and needs to be replaced. The team is identifying sources for the replacement cable.\nAdditionally, the overall rebuild of the infrastructure will require design, permitting, procurement and construction. Design work for the rebuild is beginning.\nTomorrow (7/11), a team of contractors, designers, and representatives from UWT and UW Facilities will convene on-site to plan out the next steps for completing the project as quickly as we can.\nIn parallel the team is exploring the possibility of sourcing generators to provide limited power for parts of campus and/or tenants.\n\nTeams are working as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it will not be an overnight fix. By Monday, we should have a better idea of the scope of work and hopefully a clearer timeline for a resolution that would allow a return to campus.\n\nCampus status: Suspended in-person operations continue through Saturday 7/20\n\nBased on information we have now, it is clear that we will not be able to return to on-campus operations next week.\n\nSuspended in-person operations will continue through Saturday 7/20. Note that it may be necessary to extend remote operations beyond 7/20, but at this stage we do not yet have a date for the restoration of power. Please make arrangements for continuing with remote work, teaching, learning and research through next week. Summer term A will continue to be taught remotely through the end of finals. For faculty teaching in Summer B term, please reach out to enrolled students to inform them that the term will be starting remotely on 7/18.\n\nNext update\n\nExpect the next update on the status of the project and campus operations on Monday 7/15.\n\nAccessing campus\n\nThe finance and administration team will have dedicated staff available on site to permit building access for 15-minute intervals on Thursday, 7/11, and Friday, 7/12, between 7:30 - 11:30 a.m.\n\nTo request an access window, please select a time for your building by completing this form. When you arrive to your building, present your Husky Card or other photo ID to the staff member at the door. You will be escorted to your workspace as well as out of the building to ensure no employee remains inside, minimizing risk to health and safety. These requests are intended for brief trips only so faculty or staff may retrieve office items, such as laptops or physical files, that are necessary for remote work.\n\nEmployees with extenuating circumstances, such as separating from the University or maintaining research work, should work with their supervisor and/or department head to identify these needs and communicate with Campus Safety at uwtsafe@uw.edu.\n\nAdditional support\n\nKnowing that the accident and this continued disruption are difficult for all, I offer a reminder that the UW provides free and confidential support services, including counseling with licensed mental health professionals, via the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).\n\nSincerely,\n\nSheila Edwards Lange, Ph.D.\nChancellor", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/power-outage-update-and-extension-remote-operations-through-7/20", "sourceDescription": "UW Tacoma Chancellor power outage update extending remote ops through 7/20", "annotations": [ "Sent Friday July 12, 2024, extending the original 7/8-7/13 closure by a full week", "Phase 1 used two large temporary generators to restore power to the entire campus, allowing a return to in-person summer instruction on July 22" ], "characterCount": 3808 }, { "sequence": 4, "type": "all-clear", "timestampApprox": "Wednesday, August 7, 2024, PDT", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "sourceUrl": "https://komonews.com/news/local/power-restored-for-tacoma-businesses-and-uw-campus-after-fatal-crash-pacific-avenues-electrical-system-power-outage-university-officials-cancellation-suspended-operations-reopened-return-to-school-relief-damages-normal", "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from KOMO News reporting that confirmed UW Tacoma's full restoration to main Tacoma Power on August 7, 2024", "annotations": [] } ], "context": "UW Tacoma is the urban-campus branch of the University of Washington, serving approximately 5,000 students in a converted warehouse district of downtown Tacoma. The campus integrates with surrounding businesses on Pacific Avenue, sharing electrical infrastructure with downtown Tacoma rather than operating an isolated utility network. At approximately [5:50 AM PDT on Saturday, July 6, 2024](https://komonews.com/news/local/fatal-crash-leaves-tacoma-businesses-and-uw-campus-powerless-for-possibly-weeks-pacific-avenues-electrical-system-power-outage-university-officials-cancellation-suspended-operations), a single-vehicle crash on South 21st Street and Pacific Avenue killed the driver and slammed into UW Tacoma's high-voltage switch gear in the Cragle parking lot. The switch gear (the central node that electrifies most of the urban campus) was destroyed. [UW Tacoma suspended in-person operations](https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/campus-power-outage-remote-working/learning-week-7/8-7/13) and shifted summer instruction to remote learning. With a regional heat wave under way and no functioning HVAC, the campus was not safe to occupy. The closure was [extended through July 20](https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/power-outage-update-and-extension-remote-operations-through-7/20) as engineers planned a phased restoration: Phase 1 used two large generators to enable a return to in-person instruction on July 22; full restoration to main Tacoma Power came on August 7. [Phase 3, permanent replacement of the switch gear, was projected to take 18 months](https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/uw-tacoma-launches-plan-to-restore-power-after-2-week-outage). The case is notable as one of the longest civilian-infrastructure-caused campus closures in modern US higher education, five weeks of disrupted operations triggered by a single early-morning crash that took out a single high-voltage switch gear.", "keyFindings": [ "A single fatal crash at approximately 5:50 AM PDT on July 6, 2024 destroyed UW Tacoma's high-voltage switch gear, knocking out power to most of the urban campus for five weeks", "Combined with a regional heat wave that made the campus dangerously hot without HVAC, the outage forced full closure for two weeks before generator-based Phase 1 restoration on July 22", "Full restoration to main Tacoma Power came on August 7, 2024, 32 days after the original outage; permanent switch gear replacement was projected to take 18 additional months", "UW Tacoma's downtown 'urban campus' shares electrical infrastructure with at least 20 surrounding businesses, so the outage affected both campus and adjacent downtown Tacoma", "The phased restoration model (emergency generators → temporary city power → permanent infrastructure) became a reference case for utility-coordination during civilian-infrastructure-caused campus disruptions" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Campus power outage: Remote working/learning week of 7/8 - 7/13 - UW Tacoma Chancellor", "url": "https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/campus-power-outage-remote-working/learning-week-7/8-7/13", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Power outage: Update and extension of remote operations through 7/20 - UW Tacoma Chancellor", "url": "https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/power-outage-update-and-extension-remote-operations-through-7/20", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Power Outage FAQ and Resources - UW Tacoma Campus Safety & Security", "url": "https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/fa/safety/power-outage-faq-and-resources", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Fatal crash leaves Tacoma businesses and UW campus powerless for possibly weeks - KOMO News", "url": "https://komonews.com/news/local/fatal-crash-leaves-tacoma-businesses-and-uw-campus-powerless-for-possibly-weeks-pacific-avenues-electrical-system-power-outage-university-officials-cancellation-suspended-operations", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Power restored at UW Tacoma, local businesses after fatal crash causes outage - KOMO News", "url": "https://komonews.com/news/local/power-restored-for-tacoma-businesses-and-uw-campus-after-fatal-crash-pacific-avenues-electrical-system-power-outage-university-officials-cancellation-suspended-operations-reopened-return-to-school-relief-damages-normal", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "UW Tacoma Launches Plan to Restore Power After 2-Week Outage - Government Technology", "url": "https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/uw-tacoma-launches-plan-to-restore-power-after-2-week-outage", "type": "national-media" }, { "title": "UW Tacoma cancels in-person operations after fatal crash knocks power out - KING 5", "url": "https://www.king5.com/article/money/business/uw-tacoma-businesses-power-outage-car-crash/281-9a8d43d7-e77a-4bd5-801f-c663a5778802", "type": "local-media" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "power-outage", "public-r1", "washington", "uw-tacoma", "vehicle-crash", "infrastructure-failure", "extended-closure", "heat-wave", "remote-instruction", "downtown-campus" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-14", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17", "addedBy": "ingestion" }