![](https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/snowphoto.jpg)
(one of many photos we received during Snowstorm ’08)
The Seattle City Council has another post-snowstorm discussion coming up next Monday morning, after more than five hours of briefings this past Monday and Tuesday. Since snow-related trouble hit West Seattle particularly hard, from missing buses to missed trash pickups, it’s not surprising that some of the toughest questions at those briefings came from WS-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. Before memories of those first two briefings faded too far away, we e-mailed to ask him about any reflections on what he heard – read on to see what he sent back:
My impressions are preliminary and it will take further investigation to fully understand all that happened. But it appears that communication completely broke down between Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) because of poor planning and lack of adequate communication equipment in both agencies. Metro is completely dependent upon the Seattle roads maintained by SDOT. My question is if Kevin Desmond, the head of Metro, knew that his staff was not getting calls answered by SDOT, did he inform Grace Crunican, the head of SDOT, and ask for her help?
There may be a need in the future, because of emergency or extreme conditions, that public transportation will be required to move large numbers of people. It appears that Metro is not prepared for such emergencies. This has to be remedied and the City Council and the County Council must insist on coordination and reform and improvement in both departments. Metro is dependent upon several City departments such as SDOT and the Seattle Police Department to make sure the roads are cleared, safe or that there are alternate routes. Good coordination and planning must begin as soon as possible.
Also, it appears that neither SDOT nor Metro leadership knew what was actually occurring on the streets i.e. whether they were being plowed or cleared or how the buses were functioning. (Tuesday) some citizens testified that the roads that SDOT Director Grace Crunican thought were plowed had not been plowed. We heard from citizens that Metro’s “on-line route status updates” on their adverse weather page were incorrect. Metro could not be relied upon for correct information. It appears that in many if not most cases drivers and passengers were left to fend for themselves.
The snow and ice route map provided by SDOT … does not designate any street west of California Avenue SW as a snow or ice route. I believe that there should be several snow or ice routes west of California Avenue and that should be remedied by the SDOT.
My impression is that the City’s Human Services Department did a good job sheltering and feeding people during this time. Shelters may have been crowded but no one was turned away. City Light was much better prepared and performed much better this time than two years ago following the December windstorm.
Essentially the City of Seattle and the King County were close to paralysis due to impassable roads. Clearly the City was not properly prepared for the snowstorm and as hard as the City employees worked, the City did not do an adequate job with the equipment or supplies on hand.
There is a major role for the public and the news media such as the local blogs in providing real time information as to what is happening. The City should determine how to engage the public and use information coming from the neighborhoods much as it did with the ham radio operations for information and communication.
Most private property owners, whether residential or commercial, did not do a good job of clearing the sidewalks in front of their properties, which they are required to do. This failure on the public’s part greatly compounded the difficulty in getting around. Everyone should have a snow shovel even if it is needed only once every ten years. If someone is too frail to shovel his or her sidewalk then able-bodied neighbors should help without being asked. We must engage the public during these times.
Tom Rasmussen
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