Containers at the Port of Tacoma are equipped with alarms that go off in high winds to signal unsafe working conditions and prompt the drivers to shut the cranes down.
That's what happened Thursday night and early Friday. Only one ship had been scheduled for work. Anticipating the storm, the terminals didn't order any labor for the midnight shift.
The Port of Tacoma fared well Friday in terms of damage from the storm. A few empty containers, a fence and a portable toilet -- with no one in it -- were blown over, said spokesman Mike Wasem. The administration building had power, but no phone service as of Friday afternoon.