LaNiña 2011
November 18, 2011 [13]
www.kirklandreporter.com
City gears up for wetterthan-average winter The City of Kirkland is well-equipped to handle this winter’s expected La Niña weather, with seven snow plows, and other vehicles that can spread sand, load and scrape ice. file art
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ith a La Niña winter approaching, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that the Puget Sound area will experience a wetter and colder winter than average. And while youngsters will be happy to hear that news, most people who drive will not be so merry. Clearing roadways for the public to move about falls to local governments and the City of Kirkland is no exception. With the annexation of the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods, that burden is greater for the city this winter as those areas have some treach-
erous hills. “It is going to be more of a challenge,” said City of Kirkland Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Stephanie Day, about the number of steep hills in the new neighborhoods. “We inherited some major roadways that are hilly.” Streets like Juanita Drive Northeast on Finn Hill will be challenging additions for the city to keep clear as they are not only steep but extremely busy. But Day said the city has a huge advantage over King County’s personnel. “King County had this small pocket to get to and it took time to get out there,” said Day. “We will deliver faster service because logistically it is easier for us to get there.”
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And time is of the essence during a heavy snowfall. Getting ahead of the accumulations and preparing major thoroughfares in advance is a big part of being successful. One of the ways that city officials are planning ahead is to update their maps of the major roadways that are critical to keep people moving. “The major roadways are our first priority,” said Day. “We have tiers of priority. We want to make sure that the arterials are uninterrupted, so they are in the first tier.” The city website has a PDF of the new emergency weather map that encompasses all of Kirkland. Some of the first-tier roads include Juanita Drive Northeast, Northeast 85th Street in downtown Kirkland, Lake Washington Boulevard Northeast along the waterfront, 132nd Avenue Northeast along Rose Hill and Kingsgate and 100th [ more winter page 16 ]
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New neighborhoods can expect better snow response this winter, say officials
[14] November 18, 2011
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11/14/11 11:33 AM
November 18, 2011 [15]
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LaNiña 2011
LaNina
School district prepares for inclement weather
AG Tree Service
age, LWSD has facility crews that check early on whether buildings have power. Fogard said this is the one case where they will close or schedule a delay with specific schools. LWSD will usually work with Puget Sound Energy to figure out when the power will come back on and plan accordingly. If the power outage happens while class is in session, Fogard said they will usually run school until the end of the day, but they also keep in mind how the temperature is affected because they want to keep students and staff comfortable.
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be home — especially at the elementary school age. “We want to be sure kids are safe,” she said. If the district decides to send students home midday, Fogard said they use various methods to get the information out and if parents aren’t available to pick up their children, schools will try to get a hold of that family’s emergency contact. This is information that is collected early in the school year. If a student has no way of getting home, Fogard said they will keep the child at school until the buses run. During a windstorm with the possibility of a power out-
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Lake Washington School District has a number of systems in place to tackle the challenges of inclement weather. FILE ART
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With 51 schools in three cities within 76 square miles to oversee, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) officials do not have an easy job. And when the weather takes a turn for the worst, things get much more difficult. Janene Fogard, deputy superintendent of operation services for the district, said they have a number of systems in place to tackle the challenges of inclement weather. She said LWSD works with a local meteorologist who gives them localized forecasts, which are much more specific than what is broadcast to the general public. Additionally, LWSD will look at the weather conditions on its four main hills: the Sammamish Plateau, Education Hill, Novelty Hill and Finn Hill. Fogard said because of the higher elevations, these areas are usually colder and have the worst conditions. “We have the information and we work with the meteorologist,” Fogard said. To check the road conditions, Fogard said they have people drive around as early as 2 or 3 a.m. The drivers then report back to Fogard and her team to decide on how to approach the day, whether that means getting crews out to sand roads, scheduling late arrivals or closing the schools altogether. “We have to make our call (by) about 5 a.m.,” Fogard said. This is because LWSD must contact bus drivers who have the earliest routes and would be waking up and getting ready for work around this time. Fogard said these drivers receive a direct call at home to let them know what’s happening, while a phone-tree system is used to inform the rest of the district. Once a decision is made, Fogard said the information is posted on www.schoolreport.org and sent to the local news stations, who post the information during their morning broadcast. The information is also posted on the school’s website at www. lwsd.org and an automated call is made to staff and families at home. Fogard said they can’t do specific closures or delays at
schools where the conditions are worse because it would affect the bus system, which she described as “one big web of a system.” She explained that for example, a driver with an earlier route may have an additional route later that would be affected if the route for the first school was delayed. Fogard added that sometimes, the buses will run on snow routes because arterials are usually plowed and sanded before neighborhood streets. Because of this, Fogard said it is important for families to know what these alternative routes are. This information is sent home in late November and Fogard recommends posting it to the refrigerator or another easily accessible area so it can be found when needed. If the weather goes bad during the day while students are in school, Fogard said the challenge is figuring out whether to send them home midday when no one may
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[16] November 18, 2011
Avenue Northeast in Juanita to name just a few. “Updating all of those maps (since the annexation) means making sure we incorporate all of the roadways that need attention,” said Day. But communicating with outside agencies is still a high priority. “Our Public Works Streets Division updates its Snow and Ice Plan annually
Watch out for your neighbors this winter
National Weather Service informs us of an impending severe weather event, our PW (Public Works) street staff, automatically moves to 12-hour shifts to provide the best coverage.” The city has seven vehicles that plow snow and/or spread sand. Other vehicles include a de-icer and ones that can load, blow snow and scrape ice.
A
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hh, the warnings of winter are right around the corner and before we know it, our cars are going to be tested each time we go to start up the engine or turn on the heater. While you’ve got winter preparedness on your mind, why don’t you also watch out for your neighbors or senior citizens who aren’t able to prepare as well as you can? Last year’s La Niña surprised us with snow in November. No one expected it and we certainly didn’t believe it was really going to hit the Puget Sound Region, but it did. Hopefully you were one of the fortunate ones who were prepared for winter. We all heed the warnings of emergency preparedness and most of us are either ready for
it or really lucky when disaster strikes. Some of us are not. I think one of the greatest gifts you can give to a neighbor that might have a hard time in the cold is to “watch out for them this winter” so they don’t get caught being unprepared. I’d like to share one of the sweetest stories I can remember from last year. There was an elderly woman that still drives her car (although she doesn’t have a garage to park her car indoors). A nice man noticed that her car was piled with the November snow and she hadn’t driven in a while. He took the notion to scrape the snow off of her windshield, scrape the ice that had accumulated too and started her car for her to make sure her battery was still charged in the frigid temperatures. As Kim Henwood
and shares it with our regional (WSDOT, KC Metro, KC Roads) and utility (PSE, Northshore Water) partners,” said Day. “It includes our lifeline road map, which illustrates what our priority snow-clearing routes are.” But the city has also beefed up its ability to handle a bad winter season. “Within the past few years, we have procured additional snow and ice equipment,” said Day. “If the
[ WINTER from page 13]
GOOD NEIGHBORS
LaNiña 2011
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he looked around while her car warmed up for a bit, he noticed that the sidewalk hadn’t been shoveled. He scraped the snow from her sidewalk and unbeknownst to him, she was now able to retrieve her mail and newspaper again. She was so appreciative for his kindness and he felt good for what he did for this very sweet person. It doesn’t take much, but as you prepare for winter please be aware of your neighbors and surroundings to see if you can spread some warmth in this wonderful, charming town we still call home – Kirkland.
Kim Henwood co-owns Jay’s Kirkland Autocare with husband, Jay. The auto repair shop has been doing wonderful things for people everyday to keep the community spirit alive since 1988. For information, call 425-822-3333.
Help Prevent Winter Flooding Adopt a Storm Drain ‘Tis the season for leaves to fall from the trees – many right on top of the 12,000+ storm drains located throughout Kirkland. Leaves and debris can block rain water from flowing into storm drains and often cause localized flooding. Kirkland Public Works needs your help to keep streets safe and clear and to reduce property damage caused by flooding.
Adopt a storm drain! 1. Sign Up: Sign an agreement that pledges your commitment to clear a storm drain(s) near your home or business. Download the agreement at www.kirklandwa. gov (search Adopt a Drain) or call 425-587-3800 to have one sent to you and you’ll receive a free reusable yard waste bag. 2. Sweep Up: Clear leaves and other debris from the top of the storm drain grate.
What is a storm drain?
Storm drains are rectangular grates with slats and are normally near the edge of the street. These grates collect water which then flows to the nearest stream or lake.
“Grate” Tips to Keep Your Storm Drain Clean Do’s • Before, during and after a storm, check the drain grate and the surrounding area to make sure they are debris-free. • Use a rake to remove debris from the storm drain and gutter. Place the material in yard waste, trash or recycling container. • Call Public Works Maintenance at 425-587-3900 if flooding is severe and you are unable to clear the drain.
Don’ts • Do not remove the grate from the drain opening. This does not unclog the system and creates a hazard for everyone. • Do not rake or blow leaves from your property into the street.
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