Thank you, first responders!

What a fantastic job you all did following the recent tornado in Port Orchard. You reacted quickly and efficiently to keep the citizens of our community safe and to assist those folks who were in the path of the tornado.

As law enforcement closed roads and directed traffic, firefighters searched for casualties and Puget Sound Energy worked hard to restore power after they had repaired downed power lines.

I’m sure that if I could personally thank each and every one of you, that you would say “I was just doing my job.” You did your jobs very well as you restored most of our little community to near normal in less than 24 hours!

For those families who lost their homes or had them badly damaged, there will be a new normal in time as the county Department of Emergency Management works with Team Rubicon, Red Cross, Life Care Center, St. Gabriel’s Church and other agencies to coordinate volunteers and provide comfort and support.

Immediately following the devastation that the tornado produced, several power lines were on the pavement across Bethel Avenue and other streets. The PSE crews worked on driver and pedestrian safety before restoring power to homes in the area. They were out in the windstorm later that week repairing more damage.

The PSE crews are certainly first responders as they put their lives on the line during bad storms and natural disasters. I am currently trying to obtain contact information so that I can invite them to the Port Orchard Eagles’s first-responders dinner in September.

Thanks again — all of you — for keeping us safe.

Ken Bicha

Port Orchard