With Rain in the Forecast, Seattleites Asked
to Take Winter by Storm
Personal Safety — Staying Out of the Way of Flooding —
is Urged Above All Else

For immediate release: 11/6/03
For more information, Contact:
Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service, (206) 684-3000

SEATTLE — With heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow, Seattle Public Utilities is urging residents to familiarize themselves with a wide range of emergency resources — including tips on preventing and responding to floods, bad weather driving recommendations, landslide prevention advice, and information on emergency food and shelters.

Learn more about these resources at the Take Winter by Storm Web site, maintained by King County, the City of Seattle and Puget Sound Energy.

Preparation tips on the Take Winter by Storm Web site include:

• Assemble an emergency kit with a battery-powered radio, flashlight, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher, bottled water and three days of non-perishable food and drinking water. Store a kit at home, work and in your car.

• Stay out of the way of flood waters. Play it safe and stay out of low-lying areas during times of heavy rains. If your basement is prone to flooding, stay out of the basement until the risk of flooding has passed.

• Keep storm drains clear to prevent flooding. Don't put grass clippings, leaves or other debris into drains, ditches, creeks, culverts, gutters or ravines. (It’s against the law.) If you live at the base of a hill or on a cliff, ensure that drainage and retaining walls are in good shape. Preventative planting can also help reduce the chance of a mud slide or flooding.

• Sign up for Seattle’s “Adopt-A-Drain” program. Contact the program at (206) 684-7647 or email adoptadrain@seattle.gov. Participants will be provided with free gloves, bags, brooms, rakes, and safety vests, as well as help with leaf disposal.

• Maintain gutters and downspouts. Twice a year, clean your gutters and the drainage downspouts attached to your roof. Direct flows from downspouts away from your home, without discharging flows to adjacent properties.

• Get snow route information for driving and transit in advance of roads being closed.

• Do not use charcoal or a gas grill to cook indoors. Carbon monoxide can be deadly.

• Establish an out-of-area contact for family members to call should the local phone system be out of service.

Through the end of December, public service announcements on local television and radio stations, as well as broadcast news, King County, the City of Seattle, and PSE Web sites, will remind residents to prepare for winter weather. The Web site, www.takewinterbystorm.org, which will be up year-round, provides preparation and safety tips and links to regional resources for information about the weather, power outages, flooding, shelters and assistance agencies.

Seattle Public Utilities drainage crews will be on emergency standby during the expected storm period, and SPU is prepared to call in additional personnel as needed. To report a flooding problem, please call (206) 386-1800.

In addition to providing drainage services in Seattle, SPU provides more than 1.3 million people in the metropolitan area with a reliable water supply and provides customers in Seattle with essential solid waste and sewer services that protect public health while balancing social and environmental responsibilities in a cost-effective way.

-30-

Seattle Public Utilities