Rain gauge data shows Monday’s storm clobbered Northwest Seattle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/20/2012

Rain gauge data shows Monday’s storm clobbered Northwest Seattle
City’s Crown Hill rain gauge recorded nearly 2 inches in 6-hour period

Map caption: Seattle RainWatch image shows band of heavy rainfall (up to 0.5 inches in an hour) headed towards NW Seattle around noon today.

SEATTLE — An analysis of Monday’s storm shows northwest parts of the city had “extraordinary” rainfall — as much 1.96 inches in 6 hours.

“It was a pretty big storm for most of the city — lots of rain in a relatively short amount of time,” said Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) meteorologist James Rufo-Hill. “But if you live in Ballard, Crown Hill, Phinney Ridge, Magnolia or Broadview, there was historic rainfall — you really got drenched.”

Rufo-Hill said SPU’s Crown Hill rain gauge recorded 2.62 inches of rain during the 12-hour period and 1.96 inches in the 6 hours from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.— which he called “an extraordinary rain event.”

The 12-hour average for the rest of the city was 2.27 inches.

Rufo-Hill’s map-based analysis of the storm, was informed by data from 8 of SPU’s 17 rain gauges, which are distributed throughout the city.

Learn more about Seattle Public Utilities.

Follow SPU on Twitter.

In addition to providing a reliable water supply to more than 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metropolitan area, SPU provides essential sewer, drainage, solid waste and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the City’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region’s environmental resources.

—SPU—

[View City of Seattle News Release]

Mayor outlines Seattle’s winter storm preparedness efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/1/2012

Mayor outlines Seattle’s winter storm preparedness efforts
Describes online tools available to help public prepare for winter weather

SEATTLE – Mayor Mike McGinn today encouraged residents to begin making annual preparations for the possibility of winter weather-related emergencies and updated the public on how the City is preparing for winter storms. McGinn described online tools available to the public to help them track storms and their impact on City services. He also described efforts the City is taking to help support storm recovery on the East Coast.

“Whether it’s heavy rain, snow and ice, or strong winds, winter weather can cause significant disruption to our lives and our economy. Now is the time to start to prepare for storms, and the City is here to help support the public as they get ready for winter,” McGinn said.

McGinn also described online tools available to the public to help them prepare and cope with winter weather. Seattle Public Utilities’ Rainwatch program – developed in partnership with UW meteorologists Cliff Mass and Phil Regulski – tracks storms and forecasts rain at the neighborhood level, providing the region’s most accurate and precise weather tracking and forecasting system. Our program Snowwatch uses data from Rainwatch, combined with temperature trends, to estimate and predict snowfall. Seattle City Light’s Windwatch provides the same function for forecasting of high winds, and their Outage Map tracks power outages across Seattle. McGinn also highlighted the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Winter Weather Response Map, which helps residents plan trips based on traffic cameras and real-time information about where our snow ploys are deployed.

“The single biggest thing that Seattleites can do to help prevent urban flooding is to clean leaves out of street drains,” said Seattle Public Utilities director Ray Hoffman.

There are several ways that residents can help their families and the City respond to disruptions, including loss of power, during winter storms:

• Residents should always have a three-day supply of water and food that does not need to be cooked;
• Have extra blankets on hand and close the doors to rooms you aren’t using to help keep warm;
• Don’t bring your barbecue or any fossil fuel burning stove inside your house to cook when the power goes out – this could cause carbon monoxide poisoning;
• A hand-crank radio and a hand-crank flashlight should be available – please don’t use open flames such as candles;
• The City of Seattle is a partner in the regional Take Winter By Storm effort – residents are encouraged to visit www.takewinterbystorm.org for more tips on being prepared for winter;
• Call 206-684-7400 to report a power outage, to find out about reported outages and to asked to have call-back when your power is restored. Seattle City Light needs your current phone number – both home and cell – in order to respond to your call.

Complete checklists are available at www.takewinterbystorm.org. Tips for what to do when the power goes out are available at http://seattle.gov/light/neighborhoods/nh4_pout.htm.

In the event of snow and ice, the Seattle Department of Transportation has 30 snowplows of various sizes and configurations, 10 plow only trucks for use during heavy accumulation, and 4 anti-icing vehicles available. They have trained an operator pool within the City utilities and parks departments to cover all shifts. SDOT currently have 3,800 tons of granular salt & 47,000 gallons anti-icing storage capacity, roughly three times more granular salt storage than last season. 11 new roadway surface temperature sensors have been purchased and are being installed to help SDOT improve their ability to deploy resources as needed.

In addition to helping Seattle City Light customers prepare themselves for power outages, in the six years since the December 2006 windstorm that knocked out half of their distribution system, City Light has reorganized its storm response procedures. They have installed a computerized outage management system to coordinate restoration work and customer communications; and increased tree trimming to avoid outages from branches coming into contact with power lines. In 2012, City Light cleared more than 600 line miles of trees from power lines. Since 2007 the utility has cleared 2375 line miles. Since 2007, City Light has added 100 line workers and re-instated their apprenticeship programs.

“Our crews are ready to respond and restore service as quickly and as safely as possible, but it is always important for each of us to be prepared for a power outage,” Seattle City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said.

Seattle Public Utilities crews work year round to get ready for storm season. By the end of this summer, the crews had pumped out over 4,300 catch basins and inspected over 25,000. They had inspected 85 miles of pipes and cleaned more than 164 miles of pipes.

SPU is also preparing its Urban Flood Response Plan. When activated, the utility puts field crews on alert, and stages flood control equipment at various locations around the city. SPU deploys volunteer storm observers to monitor various flood-prone areas, freeing up crews to do the work they need to do such as clearing drains. Regular City crews can be called in if needed for assistance.

More information:

Rainwatch: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/SPU/
Snowwatch: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/SNOWWATCH/
Windwatch: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/SCL/
Outage map: http://www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat/
Winter weather response map: http://web1.seattle.gov/sdot/winterweathermap/

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Office of the Mayor

[View City of Seattle News Release]

Are You Prepared for Landslides?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/30/2012

Are You Prepared for Landslides?
Rainfall gauge exceeds landslide threshold

SEATTLE — Did you know that most landslides occur between the months of October and April? And that 86 percent of landslides are caused to some extent by human activity? Landslide season is upon us. Today the USGS rain gauge used to anticipate the likelihood of landslides in the area moved about the threshold, meaning some level of landslide activity is likely in the coming days. The City of Seattle urges residents to take preventive measures to protect themselves and their property from possible landslides.

Landslide experts agree there is not one single factor that contributes to landslides in the area, but in most cases there are steps that property owners can take to mitigate risk.

With 20,000 Seattle properties (mostly residential) in landslide-prone areas, the
City of Seattle and the Take Winter By Storm campaign encourage property owners to take preventive measures to protect themselves from landslides, and learn more about how to manage hillside property by attending a free landslide awareness meeting.

2012 City of Seattle Landslide Awareness Meeting – November 10.

The free landslide awareness meeting will give the public the opportunity to consult with public/private landslide experts and learn simple preventive measures that will help protect them from future landslides, such as the following:

• Clearing nearby storm drains of leaves and other debris
• Checking downspouts; making sure they are functioning/routed to a safe location
• Inspecting sloping areas for indications of slope movement and erosion
• Keeping fill and yard waste off slopes
• Shutting off the irrigation system and checking it out seasonally
• Leaving tree stumps in the ground on slopes
• Knowing when to seek professional help for hillside projects

2012 City of Seattle Landslide Awareness Meeting

The landslide awareness meeting will include a presentation that discusses the causes of landslides, proper drainage for sloping sites, and vegetation maintenance on slopes. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session and time for one-on-one discussions with professionals in the field, including the City of Seattle, and volunteers from The American Society for Civil Engineers, The Association of Engineering Geologists, The International Society of Arboriculture, and Associated Building Contractors.

Nov. 10, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Northgate Community Center
Multipurpose Room
10510 5th Ave. NE
(across from Northgate Mall)

Seattle Landslides

The landslide record that was documented in the Seattle Landslide Study of 2000 indicates that 86 percent of landslides that have occurred in the city have some human influence such as excavating and filling on steep slopes, broken pipes and uncontrolled storm water.

Since the devastating landslide season of 1996/1997, which involved over 300 reported landslides, the city has taken steps to prepare and respond to slides by constructing mitigation projects to reduce the potential for future slides. It has also been presenting these public landslide awareness meetings for owners of landslide-prone property.

If a landslide damages your property and you have an immediate concern for your safety, leave the premises and call 9-1-1. Seattle property owners with structures that may be affected by or endangered by a landslide should contact a geotechnical professional for structural evaluation.

To view the current conditions of the USGS rainfall threshold for landslides, please visit: http://landslides.usgs.gov/monitoring/seattle/rtd/plot.php.

For more information about Seattle landslides and the City of Seattle free landslide awareness meetings, please visit: www.seattle.gov/dpd/emergency/landslides.

Take Winter By Storm is a regional campaign aimed at helping citizens and businesses get prepared before bad weather strikes. Learn more at: www.takewinterbystorm.org.

[View City of Seattle News Release]

City of Seattle Continues Full Response to Severe Weather

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/24/2010 City of Seattle Continues Full Response to Severe Weather
Seattle’s Emergency Operations Center Active

SEATTLE – The City of Seattle continues its full response to the severe weather.

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 the City has 17 trucks with salt spreaders and two flusher trucks deployed.
• Snow routes are in good condition.
• There was no significant re-freezing of cleared roadways during the past 24 hours.
• There are no significant problems on the snow route network.
• The Alaskan Way Viaduct and the West Seattle High Rise Bridge are bare and dry.
• Focus is on reopening closed roads. The Seattle Police Department and SDOT are working to review roads currently closed and will update the list online.
• The City will continue the same level of deployed vehicles for the morning commute; focus will be on efforts to prevent re-freezing, address trouble spots on Level 3 routes, and bring more roads off the closed list.
• Because of the possibility of precipitation today leading to the formation of black ice tonight, some roads will remain closed.
• 24 hour shifts will continue through Thursday, November 25.

SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES

• Garbage, yard waste and recycling collection have been postponed in Seattle for a second day, due to dangerous road conditions; icy side streets prohibit safe collections. There will be no residential services on Wednesday, November 24.

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• Collection services for commercial and multi-family accounts will be available on a limited basis Wednesday, November 24, where access allows.
• Customers whose containers were not collected on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of this week will have them collected next week on their regularly scheduled pick-up day, and will be allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage, yard waste and recycling at no additional charge.

POLICE

As a result of the traffic-related issues created by the snow and ice, the Seattle Police Department continues to manage snow-related incidents at the precinct level, reporting to the Emergency Operations Center. Staffing and call volume today have been comparable to normal operations. It is anticipated that SPD will return to normal operations tomorrow if conditions remain the same.

HUMAN SERVICES

Several shelters will be available for people trying to avoid the cold overnight:

• The co-ed City Hall shelter, located at Fourth and James, 9 p.m. – 6 a.m., capacity, 75 people;
• The Frye Hotel, for women only, at Third and Yesler, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., capacity, 25 people.
• Starting today, the Seattle Center shelter building will be switched from the Pavilion to the Rainier Room (one of the Northwest rooms). Hours are 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The Seattle Center Centerhouse is open 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. as a warming center.

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.
• The Green Lake Library was closed yesterday due to lack of staff availability because of the weather.

MUNICIPAL COURT

• Seattle Municipal Court will begin at 10 a.m. today.

PARKS

• Parks and Recreation Community Centers, Discovery Park Environmental Learning Center, Camp Long Environmental Learning Center, and the Amy Yee Tennis Center will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today for drop-in activities.
• Pools will operate an adjusted schedule, please call the individual pool for programs and times, with the exception of Helene Madison Pool, which will be closed.
• Athletic fields will be closed Wednesday.
• School Age Care Programs cancelled.
• Athletic programs are cancelled.
• Scheduled recreation programs and classes are cancelled.

·

• Swimming Lesson programs are cancelled.
• Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center is closed.
• Green Lake and Mt. Baker small craft centers are closed.
• Jefferson Golf Course is open for sledding.

CITY LIGHT

• There are no outages. At the height of the storm, 1,500 customers were without power. Most were restored within eight hours. The remaining customers were restored before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

FIRE

• The Fire Department added two aid cars to help out with an increased number of emergency medical responses over the past 48 hours.
• The department continues to increase staffing through Wednesday.
• Seattle Fire dispatched 507 emergency responses on Monday, approximately twice the normal number of calls received per day.
• All fire engines, trucks, medic units, and aid cars are chained up to allow access to emergencies.

PREPAREDNESS

• 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

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[View City of Seattle News Release]

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]