Progress toward full power: King County, Puget Sound Energy crews working hard, watching weather- King County

Dec. 20, 2006

Progress toward full power: King County, Puget Sound Energy crews working hard, watching weather

With a new weather front approaching Western Washington, King County officials continue coordinating with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and other entities to restore services and electrical power to the people of King County.

Puget Sound Energy officials are hopeful that nearly all customers who lost power from the windstorm will have service by Saturday. Pockets in Duvall and Cottage Lake areas, however, may have to wait until Sunday or longer to turn the lights back on.

As of Tuesday morning 85,000 Puget Sound Energy customers in King County were without power. About 9,000 Seattle City Light customers remained without electrical service.

Currently, Puget Sound Energy has 220 crews working countywide to restore electric service. King County crews are working round-the-clock to clear roads, maintain public safety and clean up storm debris.

Officials are also keeping an eye on the weather as a front is forecasted to pass through Puget Sound today. The front is expected to bring moderate winds and rain to the area—and not nearly in the volumes we saw during the windstorm. PSE officials are concerned that service in some areas remains fragile, and some temporary fixes could be compromised by the return of foul weather. King County reminds residents to remain vigilant about personal safety, the well-being of your neighbors, including the dangers posed by downed power lines and carbon monoxide.

On Tuesday service was restored to limited portions of North Bend, Snoqualmie and Carnation. Power restoration crews from as far away as Missouri, Kansas, California, Nevada and other states are working nonstop to repair the massive damage.

King County Transportation

King County Road Services has set up 10 variable message signs throughout the County which display important contact information for reporting damages to homes or businesses due to the recent windstorm. Transportation staff are also posting updated road closure information three times daily at www.metrokc.gov.

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. Information on the harmful effects of carbon monoxide can be found at www.metrokc.gov/health/disaster/carbmono.htm.

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. Vine Church in Redmond has been re-opened as of Tuesday. 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 Tuesday morning, the shelters were serving about 175 residents overnight. The bulk of those (about 140 people) are at the Bellevue shelter locations. Dozens more are using the shelters during the day to get warm, take showers, recharge cellphones, etc.

Vine Church (re-opened 12/20 – 12/21), 16551 N.E. 79th St., Redmond. Call 425-861-3438
Si View Metro Park Warming Shelter, 400 S.E. Orchard, North Bend
Duvall Church Warming Shelter, 15520 Main St., Duvall
Bellevue Community College (Special Needs Shelter), 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E.
Auburn Senior Center, 808 Ninth 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 6:30 a.m. to 9 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.
Masonic Retirement Center of Washington/ Landmark On The Sound, 23660 Marine View Drive S., Des Moines, 206-323-2345
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

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 SW 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 N.E. 180th St., Bothell). The secondary location is at Cedar Grove Park (22421 Ninth Ave. S.E., 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 Dec. 24-25 and will re-open on Tuesday, Dec. 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 303 calls from residents reporting damage to their homes or businesses. Damage estimates to date total $7.3 million in structural damage and $1.5 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, Dec. 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. Visit www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/garbage-recycling/ to see 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 to 7 p.m.; and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. For driving directions, visit www.metrokc.gov/csc/northshore.aspx.

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. 20, 2006 Progress toward full power: King County, Puget Sound Energy crews working hard, watching weather With a new weather front approaching Western Washington, King County officials continue coordinating with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and other entities to restore services and electrical power to the people of King County. Puget Sound Energy officials are hopeful that nearly all customers who lost power from the windstorm will have service by Saturday. Pockets in Duvall and Cottage Lake areas, however, may have to wait until Sunday or longer to turn the lights back on. As of Tuesday morning 85,000 Puget Sound Energy customers in King County were without power. About 9,000 Seattle City Light customers remained without electrical service. Currently, Puget Sound Energy has 220 crews working countywide to restore electric service. King County crews are working round-the-clock to clear roads, maintain public safety and clean up storm debris. Officials are also keeping an eye on the weather as a front is forecasted to pass through Puget Sound today. The front is expected to bring moderate winds and rain to the area—and not nearly in the volumes we saw during the windstorm. PSE officials are concerned that service in some areas remains fragile, and some temporary fixes could be compromised by the return of foul weather. King County reminds residents to remain vigilant about personal safety, the well-being of your neighbors, including the dangers posed by downed power lines and carbon monoxide. On Tuesday service was restored to limited portions of North Bend, Snoqualmie and Carnation. Power restoration crews from as far away as Missouri, Kansas, California, Nevada and other states are working nonstop to repair the massive damage. King County Transportation King County Road Services has set up 10 variable message signs throughout the County which display important contact information for reporting damages to homes or businesses due to the recent windstorm. Transportation staff are also posting updated road closure information three times daily at www.metrokc.gov. 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. Information on the harmful effects of carbon monoxide can be found at www.metrokc.gov/health/disaster/carbmono.htm. 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. Vine Church in Redmond has been re-opened as of Tuesday. 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 Tuesday morning, the shelters were serving about 175 residents overnight. The bulk of those (about 140 people) are at the Bellevue shelter locations. Dozens more are using the shelters during the day to get warm, take showers, recharge cellphones, etc. Vine Church (re-opened 12/20 – 12/21), 16551 N.E. 79th St., Redmond. Call 425-861-3438 Si View Metro Park Warming Shelter, 400 S.E. Orchard, North Bend Duvall Church Warming Shelter, 15520 Main St., Duvall Bellevue Community College (Special Needs Shelter), 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E. Auburn Senior Center, 808 Ninth 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 6:30 a.m. to 9 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. Masonic Retirement Center of Washington/ Landmark On The Sound, 23660 Marine View Drive S., Des Moines, 206-323-2345 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 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 SW 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 N.E. 180th St., Bothell). The secondary location is at Cedar Grove Park (22421 Ninth Ave. S.E., 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 Dec. 24-25 and will re-open on Tuesday, Dec. 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 303 calls from residents reporting damage to their homes or businesses. Damage estimates to date total $7.3 million in structural damage and $1.5 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, Dec. 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. Visit www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/garbage-recycling/ to see 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 to 7 p.m.; and on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. For driving directions, visit www.metrokc.gov/csc/northshore.aspx.
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	Updated: Feb. 21, 2007