City of Seattle Continues Response to Severe Weather

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/24/2010 City of Seattle Continues Response to Severe Weather
Emergency Operations Center de-activates, City Departments Continue Response Efforts

SEATTLE – The City of Seattle continues its response in treating snow routes through the day in response to the first snowstorm of the season.

The National Weather Service is forecasting sub-freezing temperatures to last through Thanksgiving morning and to warm later that afternoon.

SDOT:

SDOT continues working to prevent freezing on snow routes:

• Currently have 7 plow/spreader trucks operating in the north end and eight operating in the south end. One brine flush truck in the north end and two in the south end.
• Shift change from night shift to day shift was completed at 8:00 a.m.
• SDOT dispatched pedestrian response crews from both its Haller Lake and Charles Street bases of operations by 8:00 a.m., with help from its Urban Forestry unit, for a total of twelve crews dispatched citywide.
• Staff will continue to monitor elevated structures all day and will continue applying salt to them to achieve the best possible surface condition before the evening commute
• The Street Maintenance Division will stay on 12-hour shifts with 24-hour coverage into Thursday morning.
• Crews’ focus today is on Level Two and Level Three Streets and working with SPD to open, wherever possible, the streets that are now closed.

POLICE

As a result of the traffic-related issues created by the snow and ice, the Seattle Police Department is currently managing snow-related incidents at the precinct level, with periodic reporting through the SPOC. Police staffing and call volume today have been comparable to normal operations and has not been significantly affected by the weather. It is anticipated that SPD will return to normal operations tomorrow if conditions remain the same.

HUMAN SERVICES

• Last night the City Hall shelter hosted 68 men, the Frye hotel 29 women, and the Seattle Center Pavilion 62 men and eight women.
• The co-ed City Hall shelter, located at Fourth and James, 9 p.m. – 6 a.m., capacity, 75 people, will be open these hours at least through Monday, November 29.
• The Frye Hotel, for women only, at Third and Yesler, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., capacity, 25 people, will be open these hours at least through Monday, November 29.

LIBRARIES

• All locations of The Seattle Public Library, including the downtown Central Library, will be open from noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 24, if staff can get to them. Please call the individual library before setting out: http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch.

NEIGHBORHOODS

• These neighborhood service centers are open today:


• Lake City: Open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Open for lunch


• Ballard: Open 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Closed for lunch 1:00-2:00


• University: Open 10:00-6:00
Closed for lunch 2:00-3:00


• Central: Open 9:00-5:00
Closed for lunch 1:00-2:00


• Southeast: Open 9:00-5:00
Open for lunch


• Delridge: Open 10:00-5:00
Closed for lunch 1:00-2:00


• West Seattle: Open 9:00-5:00
Closed for lunch 1:00-2:00

PARKS

• All golf courses are closed for sledding.

PREPAREDNESS

• The City of Seattle is a partner in the Take Winter by Storm campaign to help residents prepare for winter conditions and emergencies. For information about how you can better prepare, visit wwww.takewinterbystorm.org
• 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!
• The City of Seattle is a partner in the Take Winter by Storm campaign to help residents prepare for winter conditions and emergencies. For information about how you can better prepare, visit www.takewinterbystorm.org

Representatives of the media should contact the following departmental representatives for additional information on the city’s response during and after this snowstorm.

• Seattle Department of Transportation – For media inquiries regarding transportation issues, please call SDOT’s 24-7 media hotline at (206) 684-3151.
• Seattle Fire Department – Helen Fitzpatrick, (206) 386-1463, helen.fitzpatrick@seattle.gov
• Seattle Police Department – Sean Whitcomb, (206) 684-5520, sean.whitcomb@seattle.gov
• Human Services Department – David Takami, (206) 684-0253, david.takami@seattle.gov
• Seattle Public Utilities -- For media inquiries regarding Seattle Public Utilities operations, please call SPU’s 24-7 media pager, at: (206) 997-5972.
• Seattle City Light – For media inquiries regarding Seattle City Light, please call City Light’s 24-7 media hotline at (206) 386-4233.

To see this morning’s status report information that is still current, please see today’s earlier news release.

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[View City of Seattle News Release]