2 utility notes: Yard-waste pickup catchup; power-outage alert

PICKUP CATCHUP, THE LATEST: Seattle Public Utilities finally officially confirmed that yes, they’ve been catching up today on some yard waste that wasn’t picked up yesterday — for those who would have had yard-waste pickup yesterday on the NORMAL schedule (check your “normal scheduled” online here) – and if yours still hasn’t been taken away, do call to report it (684-3000). Meantime, we’re working on the SPU angle from the city briefing earlier today, so that’ll be posted as soon as it’s done.

POWER-OUTAGE ALERT: Just in case the wind and rain intensify (video clip shot within the past hour – showing how fast the low clouds were moving in the wind) and lead to outages, Seattle City Light has issued a news release with reminders about what to do, what not to do, and who to call – click ahead to read it:

Seattle City Light crews are ready to respond if the high
winds and heavy rains predicted to last through the night and until
10:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 7, cause any outages. .

“Our crews are ready to respond if the weather system ends up causing
any outages,” says City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco. “We
are prepared for the possibility of outages occurring throughout our
service territory and we can have back-up help available to us quickly
if the predicted heavy rains and saturated soil result in significant
wind damage. Heavy wind and rain can bring down whole trees onto power
lines.”

The Customer Service Call Center will remain open this evening until
8:00 p.m. If it appears that the storm coming in is causing extensive
damage, the Call Center hours will be extended.

City Light reminds customers to be safe. Downed lines can be
dangerous. Also, City Light urges customers to be prepared for any
possible outages. Here’s what customers can do if they experience a
power outage::

Ø Do not get near any downed wire. An individual should always
assume a downed wire is “live” and dangerous. If someone sees a
downed wire, they should call (206) 706-0051;
Ø Do not use a barbecue grill or generator inside the house or in
a garage that is attached to the house. Do not use a grill or generator
near a home air intake vent or near windows;
Ø Do not use fossil fuel burning auxiliary heating sources;
Ø Have an emergency power outage kit available and well-stocked.
There should be sufficient supplies to last three days for every family
member and family pets. Make sure all batteries are fresh. To find out
what to put into a kit, go to www.takewinterbystorm.org
Ø Know how to manually override electric garage doors, security
doors and gates;
Ø Have a land line phone or fully charged cell phone available –
cordless phones won’t work when the power is out;
Ø Unplug electrical appliances if the power goes out so that when
the power comes back on, there won’t be a surge that could damage
sensitive electronic equipment;
Ø Use battery-powered flashlights – not candles or oil lamps; also
have a battery-powered radio;
Ø Close doors, windows, curtains, and unused fireplace dampers to
retain heat if there is an outage.

4 Replies to "2 utility notes: Yard-waste pickup catchup; power-outage alert"

  • Que January 6, 2009 (7:55 pm)

    SPU still has not picked up our recycling. We have called and complained and still, no recycling service. They PROMISED that they would come yesterday. Needless to say, they did not. We are a Friday pick up normally and so, are nearing on 4 weeks of recycling piling up…. Argh…

  • ginger January 6, 2009 (8:15 pm)

    The power has been out between 36th and 37th SW directly north of Morgan for almost 3 hours. But from the looks of it, we are the only ones without power.

  • jenny12 January 6, 2009 (10:04 pm)

    If my normal yard waste day was not picked up on monday Dec. 29th, during the storm – when will they come get it? Not until next week – my next “normal” yard waste day?
    Are we getting a credit for the what – 3 wks of missed
    collections? How do I get the credit? Thanks, Jennifer

  • WSB January 6, 2009 (10:47 pm)

    Yes, the next “normal” yard waste day.
    Re: the credit, details have not been announced yet. See our story about SPU explaining to the City Council today what happened, and didn’t, during the storm- a few details there – it’s SUPPOSED to be automatic for those who get it, when it’s finalized.

Sorry, comment time is over.