The lights went out for five to six days in much of West Seattle and White Center after high winds flattened trees, which tore down electrical power lines as they fell during a Dec. 15 storm.

With thousands of Westsiders cold and in the dark, the Delridge and Southwest community centers turned into temporary shelters. Seattle Parks and Recreation set up cots in meeting rooms and some even served food.

Five people spent the night on cots in a meeting room at the Southwest Community Center Dec. 16. There were 17 people at the center the next night.

"We got several phone calls from people wondering if we would be open," said Paula Pablo, a recreational attendant.

The Southwest Community Center has a few toys for children to play with while other kids spending the night with their families colored, Pablo said.

Two to three employees of Seattle Parks and Recreation stayed at the center each night it was open.

There was a similar up tick in people seeking shelter at the Delridge Community Center. It too started out with five people Friday night. A shipment of about 40 cots owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation was delivered by 7:30 p.m. the first night.

"We had 12 to 15 people for breakfast Saturday morning," said Damien Hicks, team development leader at the Delridge Community Center and impromptu chef.

Had electrical power been cut off to the Delridge Community Center, it's equipped with a generator.

By Sunday, there were about 20 people at the Delridge center for dinner. The staff served breakfasts of French toast, pancakes, cereal or toast and eggs. There was spaghetti or soup and bread for dinner.

Among those seeking shelter were three families. Two of the families had four children each. An elderly lady who'd recently had heart surgery stayed at the center for a few days with her middle-age daughter.

One family had been exposed to carbon monoxide because of burning charcoal in their house. They were placed in a separate room for people with any medical conditions.

A family with foster children had to be turned away because state law forbids foster children from staying in shelters, Hicks said.

Some people went to the community center just for a hot shower, he said. The center has three showers. Others sought a hot meal and then returned home to spend the night.

People would go home each day to see if they had power. If not, they'd return to the community center. Some of the lucky ones whose electricity was flowing again called to thank the center staff.

Some of the elderly people who came during the day didn't spend the night because the cots were too low for them to sleep comfortably on, so they returned home for the night, Hicks said.

The community center's employees dipped into city funds to buy food and then they prepared breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the center's kitchen. There was plenty of coffee and hot cider too.

Four days into the power outage, the Delridge Center had sheltered about 40 people, Hicks said.

Hicks has worked at the Delridge Community Center for eight years. He recognized some of the shelter seekers as regular users of the center. But there were also plenty of people who he'd never seen before.

"We got a lot of people from Burien," Hicks said. "We got calls from Federal Way today (Dec. 18) so we expect them tonight."

Private citizens also did their part during the worst power outage in many years.

Some West Seattle neighborhoods had houses with electricity on one side of the street but none on the other side. West of the Junction, for example, there were numerous bright blue or orange outdoor electrical cords laid across residential streets. People who still had electricity plugged one end of the cord into their house and shared electricity with their powerless neighbors across the street.

The Alki Homestead restaurant was not affected by the electrical power outage. On Saturday morning Dec. 16, people started showing up at the restaurant in search of warmth and hot food.

Normally the Homestead doesn't open until 5 p.m. on Saturdays, but co-owner Tom Lin was there and unlocked the doors when people started showing up Saturday morning. He built a fire in the fireplace, switched on the Christmas music and turned on the kitchen stove. The staff started making omelets, coffee and pastries for people seeking refuge from their cold, darkened homes.

The restaurant kept giving away food and hot beverages free throughout the afternoon.

Patrick Henley, the other co-owner, estimated 60 people stopped by that day.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.