Be patient: King County crews are working to provide service- King County

Dec. 19, 2006

Be patient: King County crews are working to provide service

Crews continue to work diligently to restore all power, clear roads, maintain public safety and clean up storm debris throughout King County. Currently, Puget Sound Energy has more than 220 crews working countywide to restore electric service. So far, they have restored service to nearly 550,000 of the 700,000 customers across its nine-county electric service territory that lost power in the windstorm. Of the 700,000 customers left without power, approximately 500,000 were in King County. As of this afternoon, 135,000 customers in the County remain out of service.

Service is expected to be restored to limited portions of North Bend, Snoqualmie and Carnation later today. Power restoration crews from as far away as Missouri, Kansas, California, Nevada and other states are working nonstop to repair the massive damage, but it's going to take several more days – and even longer in the very hard-hit areas—to get everyone's service back.

In many places, crews have made temporary fixes to speed up power restoration, which has left the electricity distribution system fragile. Weather forecasters are predicting another rainstorm on Wednesday with low to moderate winds, which may cause additional strain on the power system and more outages in recently restored areas.

Puget Sound Energy encourages everyone to help out by conserving electricity and using only the lights and appliances needed, which will reduce the possibility of overloading circuits and causing additional outages.

King County Transportation

King County Department of Transportation Road Services Division has more than 325 employees working during daylight hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) alone and in conjunction with area power companies to clear roads of storm debris. Transportation workers cannot clear debris if there is a power line present, whether it is live or not.

King County Road Services has set up four variable message signs throughout the County which display important contact information for reporting damages to homes or businesses due to the recent windstorm. Six more are being set up for tomorrow. Transportation staff are also posting updated road closure information two times each day at www.metrokc.gov; one in the early morning and another in the early afternoon.

Public Health updates

During this prolonged power outage, King County encourages residents to check on their neighbors, regardless of age, to make sure that they are healthy and not in need of medical attention. However, our elderly population is especially at risk during power outages.

Considerable efforts have been made to educate both the elderly and ethnic communities regarding available services and prevention and awareness on carbon monoxide poisoning. These efforts have included flyers, radio interviews and advertising, development of neighbor phone trees, messaging through community leaders and even door-to-door visits by the King County Housing Authority. Additional information on the harmful effects of carbon monoxide.

Shelters

King County, various cities, and the Red Cross have opened several shelters and warming centers for citizens who have been affected by the storm. The special needs shelter located in the cafeteria of Bellevue Community is operating with a reduced staff now that several residents there have returned to the Mt. Si Transitional Care facility in North Bend. As of mid-afternoon, the shelters were serving just over 200 residents. The bulk of those (about 140 people) are at the Bellevue shelter locations.

Si View Metro Park Warming Shelter, 400 S.E Orchard, North Bend **NEW**
Duvall Church Warming Shelter, 15520 Main St., Duvall **NEW**
Bellevue Community College (Special Needs Shelter), 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E.
Auburn Senior Center, 808 9th St. S.E. Call 253-931-3016
Auburn YMCA, 1620 Perimeter Road. Call 253-833-2770
Presbyterian Church on Vashon Island
Bethany Bible Church, 6214 N.E. Bothell Way in Kenmore
Mercer Island Community Center, Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No meals or night shelter.
Renton Highlands Community Center, 800 N.E. Edmonds Street
Highland Community Center, 14224 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue (operated by City of Bellevue)
Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way S.W.
Federal Way Masonic Home, 23660 Marine View Dr. S., 253-653-8569
Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave S.
North Bellevue Community Center, 4063 148th Ave.
Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave N., Seattle
Carol Edwards Center, 17401 133rd Ave. N.E., Woodinville
King County Aquatic Center (day shelter), Federal Way

Closed Shelters

Vine Church, 16551 N.E. 79th St., Redmond. Call 425-861-3438
Jewish Community Center (day shelter), 3801 E. Mercer Way, Mercer Island
West Mercer Elementary School Shelter, 4141 81st Ave S.E., Mercer Island. EOC is coordinating agency. Call 206-236-5300.
Southwest Community Center, 2801 S.W. Thistle, Seattle

Debris drop-off locations

In King County, tree stumps, limbs and brush can be recycled at one of a number of commercial recycling processors and turned into valuable wood chips or mulch. Visit the Solid Waste Division Web site, www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd, for more details. In many cases there are recycling options that are significantly less expensive than disposal, such as chipping into mulch.

The City of Bothell is operating two free debris drop-off sites for Bothell residents from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The primary location is at the Park at Bothell Landing gravel parking lot (9919 NE 180th Street, Bothell). The secondary location is at Cedar Grove Park (22421 9th Avenue SE, Bothell). Residents can bring clean wood debris including tree branches, leafy materials and tree stumps to the drop-off sites and are asked to use the Park at Bothell Landing site first as it is the larger and more accessible site of the two locations. Drop off sites will be closed on December 24th and December 25th and will re-open on Tuesday, December 26th until further notice.

Free structural damage inspections

The King County Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) will offer free wind damage structural inspections to citizens in the unincorporated area. Inspections will be conducted within one business day of the request. In addition to evaluating the integrity of the damaged structure, DDES inspectors will assess whether a permit is required to proceed with repairs. For minor repairs, permits can be issued on site. In the event of major damage, the permit review will be expedited.

The City of Bothell is also offering free storm damage inspections to Bothell citizens who experienced structure damage to their homes or businesses. Inspection requests can be made through the City of Bothell Inspection Request Line at 425-489-3390; the City inspector will also assess if a building permit for storm damage repair is necessary.

Property Damage

Over the past four days, the King County Disaster Hotline has logged 284 calls from residents reporting damage to their homes or businesses. Damage estimates to date total $6.6 million in structural damage and $1.3 million in personal property damage. King County residents can call the Damage Hotline at 800-523-5044 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, until Friday, December 22nd to report windstorm damage to their home or business office. This is not the phone number to report a power outage. Residents are urged to document damage with photographs, as reported information will be used to assist the State of Washington in its request for federal disaster assistance.

Food waste composting

Some trash haulers turn yard waste collections into compost. Residents with garbage collection services should check with their hauler about putting spoiled food into the yard waste recycling bin instead of the garbage. Here's a list of garbage haulers by region.

If residents don't have yard waste collection services, they should dispose of the food in their regular garbage.

King County Community Service Center closure

The Cottage Lake Community Service Center in Woodinville is without power and closed to the public this week. To accommodate the public with King County services this week, the Northshore Community Service Center, located in Bothell, will have extended office hours Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. See the driving directions.

King County Executive, Ron Sims County news Executive initiatives Excellence in Government Executive offices Biography Contact information King County Executive Office Ron Sims, King County Executive 701 Fifth Ave. Suite 3210 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-4040 Fax: 206-296-0194 TTY Relay: 711	KING COUNTY HOME \| NEWS \| SERVICES \| DIRECTORY \| CONTACT King County Executive, Ron Sims King County Executive You're in: King County Executive, Ron Sims print Dec. 19, 2006 Be patient: King County crews are working to provide service Crews continue to work diligently to restore all power, clear roads, maintain public safety and clean up storm debris throughout King County. Currently, Puget Sound Energy has more than 220 crews working countywide to restore electric service. So far, they have restored service to nearly 550,000 of the 700,000 customers across its nine-county electric service territory that lost power in the windstorm. Of the 700,000 customers left without power, approximately 500,000 were in King County. As of this afternoon, 135,000 customers in the County remain out of service. Service is expected to be restored to limited portions of North Bend, Snoqualmie and Carnation later today. Power restoration crews from as far away as Missouri, Kansas, California, Nevada and other states are working nonstop to repair the massive damage, but it's going to take several more days – and even longer in the very hard-hit areas—to get everyone's service back. In many places, crews have made temporary fixes to speed up power restoration, which has left the electricity distribution system fragile. Weather forecasters are predicting another rainstorm on Wednesday with low to moderate winds, which may cause additional strain on the power system and more outages in recently restored areas. Puget Sound Energy encourages everyone to help out by conserving electricity and using only the lights and appliances needed, which will reduce the possibility of overloading circuits and causing additional outages. King County Transportation King County Department of Transportation Road Services Division has more than 325 employees working during daylight hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) alone and in conjunction with area power companies to clear roads of storm debris. Transportation workers cannot clear debris if there is a power line present, whether it is live or not. King County Road Services has set up four variable message signs throughout the County which display important contact information for reporting damages to homes or businesses due to the recent windstorm. Six more are being set up for tomorrow. Transportation staff are also posting updated road closure information two times each day at www.metrokc.gov; one in the early morning and another in the early afternoon. Public Health updates During this prolonged power outage, King County encourages residents to check on their neighbors, regardless of age, to make sure that they are healthy and not in need of medical attention. However, our elderly population is especially at risk during power outages. Considerable efforts have been made to educate both the elderly and ethnic communities regarding available services and prevention and awareness on carbon monoxide poisoning. These efforts have included flyers, radio interviews and advertising, development of neighbor phone trees, messaging through community leaders and even door-to-door visits by the King County Housing Authority. Additional information on the harmful effects of carbon monoxide. Shelters King County, various cities, and the Red Cross have opened several shelters and warming centers for citizens who have been affected by the storm. The special needs shelter located in the cafeteria of Bellevue Community is operating with a reduced staff now that several residents there have returned to the Mt. Si Transitional Care facility in North Bend. As of mid-afternoon, the shelters were serving just over 200 residents. The bulk of those (about 140 people) are at the Bellevue shelter locations. Si View Metro Park Warming Shelter, 400 S.E Orchard, North Bend NEW Duvall Church Warming Shelter, 15520 Main St., Duvall NEW Bellevue Community College (Special Needs Shelter), 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E. Auburn Senior Center, 808 9th St. S.E. Call 253-931-3016 Auburn YMCA, 1620 Perimeter Road. Call 253-833-2770 Presbyterian Church on Vashon Island Bethany Bible Church, 6214 N.E. Bothell Way in Kenmore Mercer Island Community Center, Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No meals or night shelter. Renton Highlands Community Center, 800 N.E. Edmonds Street Highland Community Center, 14224 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue (operated by City of Bellevue) Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way S.W. Federal Way Masonic Home, 23660 Marine View Dr. S., 253-653-8569 Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave S. North Bellevue Community Center, 4063 148th Ave. Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave N., Seattle Carol Edwards Center, 17401 133rd Ave. N.E., Woodinville King County Aquatic Center (day shelter), Federal Way Closed Shelters Vine Church, 16551 N.E. 79th St., Redmond. Call 425-861-3438 Jewish Community Center (day shelter), 3801 E. Mercer Way, Mercer Island West Mercer Elementary School Shelter, 4141 81st Ave S.E., Mercer Island. EOC is coordinating agency. Call 206-236-5300. Southwest Community Center, 2801 S.W. Thistle, Seattle Debris drop-off locations In King County, tree stumps, limbs and brush can be recycled at one of a number of commercial recycling processors and turned into valuable wood chips or mulch. Visit the Solid Waste Division Web site, www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd, for more details. In many cases there are recycling options that are significantly less expensive than disposal, such as chipping into mulch. The City of Bothell is operating two free debris drop-off sites for Bothell residents from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The primary location is at the Park at Bothell Landing gravel parking lot (9919 NE 180th Street, Bothell). The secondary location is at Cedar Grove Park (22421 9th Avenue SE, Bothell). Residents can bring clean wood debris including tree branches, leafy materials and tree stumps to the drop-off sites and are asked to use the Park at Bothell Landing site first as it is the larger and more accessible site of the two locations. Drop off sites will be closed on December 24th and December 25th and will re-open on Tuesday, December 26th until further notice. Free structural damage inspections The King County Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) will offer free wind damage structural inspections to citizens in the unincorporated area. Inspections will be conducted within one business day of the request. In addition to evaluating the integrity of the damaged structure, DDES inspectors will assess whether a permit is required to proceed with repairs. For minor repairs, permits can be issued on site. In the event of major damage, the permit review will be expedited. The City of Bothell is also offering free storm damage inspections to Bothell citizens who experienced structure damage to their homes or businesses. Inspection requests can be made through the City of Bothell Inspection Request Line at 425-489-3390; the City inspector will also assess if a building permit for storm damage repair is necessary. Property Damage Over the past four days, the King County Disaster Hotline has logged 284 calls from residents reporting damage to their homes or businesses. Damage estimates to date total $6.6 million in structural damage and $1.3 million in personal property damage. King County residents can call the Damage Hotline at 800-523-5044 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, until Friday, December 22nd to report windstorm damage to their home or business office. This is not the phone number to report a power outage. Residents are urged to document damage with photographs, as reported information will be used to assist the State of Washington in its request for federal disaster assistance. Food waste composting Some trash haulers turn yard waste collections into compost. Residents with garbage collection services should check with their hauler about putting spoiled food into the yard waste recycling bin instead of the garbage. Here's a list of garbage haulers by region. If residents don't have yard waste collection services, they should dispose of the food in their regular garbage. King County Community Service Center closure The Cottage Lake Community Service Center in Woodinville is without power and closed to the public this week. To accommodate the public with King County services this week, the Northshore Community Service Center, located in Bothell, will have extended office hours Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. See the driving directions.
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	Updated: Feb. 21, 2007