City of Seattle Continues Severe Weather Response Efforts

It’s a bit of an info dump (and a bit late) but there’s a lot of useful stuff here…

Emergency Operations Center to remain active through evening commute

SEATTLE – The City of Seattle Emergency Operations Center will remain open through the evening commute. Seattle Department of Transportation crews will continue their response efforts through the night. The EOC will re-activate tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m.

The following is a status update on the City’s response to the severe weather as of 2:00 p.m.:

SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (SDOT)

• If travel is essential, please consider using public transit. King County Metro is encouraging riders to check route info on the Metro website: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/rr/adverseweather.html. Sound Transit recommends riders check http://www.soundtransit.org/ for Link Light Rail service updates.
• Residents and businesses are advised they are responsible for clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes or businesses.
• SDOT currently has eight plow/spreader trucks operating in the north end and eleven operating in the south end. One brine flush truck is operating in the north end and two in the south end.
• SDOT staff will continue to monitor elevated structures all day and apply salt before the evening commute.
• SDOT cautions that although a road may look clear, there is a risk of black ice. Most major arterials are open and have at least one passable lane.
• Please click the following link to view an updated list of road closures in Seattle. This site will be updated as conditions change: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/winterweather.htm#closed

SEATTLE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The city is responding to temporary housing needs for the homeless.

Day Centers include:

• Family and Adult Service Center (FASC) Day Center at 2015 3rd Ave is open until 10:00 p.m., and will open four hours early on Wednesday, at 6 a.m. and remain open until 10:00 p.m.
• The Seattle Center House is open as a warming center from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Overnight Shelters include:

• The Seattle Center Pavilion near Key Arena is open tonight; The Rainier Room (upper Northwest Courtyard) will be open as a shelter on Wednesday, Nov. 24 and Thursday, Nov. 25. Doors open at 9 p.m. each evening and the shelter closes at 6:00 a.m.;
• City Hall, 4th Avenue between Cherry and James Streets., is open from 9:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.; people should not arrive before 8:30 p.m. The City Hall shelter will remain open in the evening through Thursday the 25th;
• Frye Hotel (women only), 3rd Ave. and Yesler Way, opens at 8:00 p.m.

SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES

• Garbage, yard waste and recycling collection have been suspended in Seattle for today, Tues., Nov. 23, due to road conditions. Missed customers will be collected next Tues., Nov. 30, and allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage at no additional charge.
• Customers missed Mon., Nov. 22, will be collected next Mon., Nov. 29, and also allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage at no additional charge.
• When setting out extra waste, customers are encouraged to place perishable food items in their collection containers and set bagged, non-perishable items next to the containers.

For Wednesday, Nov. 24, Seattle Public Utilities will make a decision whether to suspend garbage, yard waste and recycling collection once road conditions have been evaluated for safety.

If Pipes Break or Freeze
Freezing weather is here. That means frozen and broken pipes are a possibility. If a water pipe breaks follow these steps:

• Immediately close the main shut-off valve to stop flooding. The shut-off valve can be indoors or outdoors – usually in a basement, crawlspace or garage. If you cannot turn off the main shutoff valve, Seattle Public Utilities customers can call (206) 386-1800 and a crew will turn off the water at the meter for a standard service charge.
• Call a plumber to repair or replace the damaged section of pipe as soon as possible.
• Don’t use hair dryers to thaw frozen pipes — you face the risk of electrocution!
• Learn more about how to protect yourself at http://seattle.gov/util/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/Emergency_Weather_Tips/WinterWeatherTips/index.htm

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will continue to post service updates on www.seattle.gov/util. Customers can also reach SPU for information by calling Customer Service at (206) 684-3000.

For media calls regarding Seattle Public Utilities operations after 7 p.m., please contact Karen Reed at (206) 396-8885, Karen.reed@seattle.gov.

SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Due to the weather, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) will not cite routine parking violations or overtime/peak violations. However, if SPD receives a complaint for a safety or access issue – blocked roadway, driveway, or a specific issue for SDOT/Metro – an officer will respond. If the vehicle’s driver is not available to move the vehicle, a ticket will be issued and the car impounded. If SPD calls for a car to be impounded, the vehicle will be taken to the tow yard.

SEATTLE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Seattle Fire reminds residents that fires are frequent during cold weather. The majority of the fires are due to furniture, bedding, and other materials placed near baseboard heaters and portable heaters.

Here are a few tips to keep homes safe during cold winter weather:

• Give your heaters space – Do not put anything next to a heater.
• Turn portable heaters off before leaving the room or before going to bed.
• Never use an extension cord with a portable heater.
• If light is needed during a power outage, use a battery-operated light source instead of candles.
• Always keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep.
• Wood stoves and fireplaces not only need space around them for safety, they should also have their chimney cleaned regularly to reduce the chance of a chimney fire.
• And just in case, make sure you have working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and a fire escape plan that has been practiced by everyone in the home.

For more information on seasonal fire safety, visit http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/homesafety/november.htm

SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION

• The following community centers are open until 4 p.m. today: Ballard, Green Lake, Northgate, Queen Anne, Miller, Magnolia, Garfield, Delridge, South Park, Southwest, Rainier Beach, Hiawatha, High Point and Alki. The Lake Union Park Armory is open as a warming site.
• Jackson Park Golf Course is open for sledding and other sliding!
• Other Seattle Parks and Recreation program updates:
• Athletic fields are closed today and tomorrow.
• All pools are closed.
• Amy Yee Tennis Center is open for drop-in tennis; scheduled programs are cancelled today.
• Carkeek Environmental Learning Center is closed today; Discovery Park and Camp Long Environmental Learning Centers are open regular hours for drop-in activities.
• School age programs are cancelled both today and tomorrow.
• Scheduled community center programs are cancelled today and tomorrow.
• The Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center is closed.
• Seattle Parks and Recreation School Age Care day camp programs are canceled Tuesday, Nov. 23.
• School Age Care program operation updates are available on the child care hotline at 684-4203.
• Canceled School Age Care day camps include the following locations: Alki, Delridge, Hiawatha, High Point, South Park, Rainier Beach, Rainier, Van Asselt, Jefferson, Yesler, Garfield, Montlake (at McGilvra Elementary School), Magnolia, Queen Anne, Ballard, Bitter Lake, and Meadowbrook Community Centers, and the Montlake Community Center program at Mcgilvra Elementary School and the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center program at Wedgewood Elementary School.

SEATTLE CITY LIGHT

City Light is estimating about 640 customers currently are without power, mainly in West Seattle and Burien areas. The estimated time of restoration is 3:00 p.m. City Light had a total of 1,500 customers without power at the height of the storm about 10:00 p.m. last night. More than half of those customers were restored by 7:00 a.m. For updated information, please go to www.seattle.gov/light and click on the “Outage” icon on the left hand side.

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARIES

The Green Lake branch is closed today. Due to inclement weather, all other libraries opened at 1:00 p.m. It is expected that Library locations, including the Seattle Central Library, that opened today will have the staffing capacity to remain open until 5 p.m. this evening.

This information will be up-dated as new information is available. For details, please contact the Emergency Operations Center PIO at (206) 233-5072.