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Mercer Island Snow

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Got Storm Debris? King County Waiving Recycling Fees

Free disposal of branches, tree limbs and other wood debris left in the wake of recent wind and snow storms.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has cleared the way for free disposal of branches, tree limbs and other wood debris left in the wake of recent wind and snow storms. “We have made it easy for residents to dispose of debris so they can quickly put the storms of last week behind them and move on with life,” said Executive Constantine. Free wood debris recycling for King County residents will be available on Jan. 28-29, and again on Feb. 4-5 at four locations: The collection sites and events are exclusively for wood debris from the recent storms. Stumps, logs and limbs no longer than six feet in length are allowed – no brush, leaves, grass clippings, sod or soil can be accepted. These events are open to all King County residents. People …

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

MISD Announces Snow Make-up Days

After taking nearly the entire week off school last week, Mercer Island School District students learned they'll have fewer three-day weekends this spring.

The Mercer Island School district has announced make-up days for the three days lost last week due to snow and icy conditions. The make-up days are March 12, May 25, and the last day of school will be June 15. All of the days were previously scheduled make-up days but occur near notable events or holidays. Monday, March 12 is the day after Daylight Saving Time resumes and clocks are moved one hour forward, while Friday, May 25 falls on Memorial Day weekend. June 15, also a Friday, falls on Father's Day weekend.

Monday, January 23, 2012

January 2012 Safety Tip of the Month

Here are several important winter-weather driving tips to follow that will help keep you safe in snowy & icy weather.

Friday, January 20, 2012

GARBAGE UPDATE: No Operations Jan. 20 Due to Snow

Garbage and recycling collection is canceled today due to inclement weather.

Allied Waste Services, a Republic Services Company, will not collect garbage on Friday, recycling and yard waste from its customers on Mercer Island, Bellevue and the Eastside due to inclement weather. Residential collection of recycle, yard waste and garbage is suspended but critical commercial accounts will be serviced on a limited basis. Weather-related service disruptions are made on a day-to-day basis. According to the press release, residents should put out a double load on their regular collection day next week. Allied Waste picks up garbage and recycling on Mercer Island five days a week (check an image of the service map attached to the right of this story).  We will post updates to our websites and will send additional …

Puget Sound Energy Crews Need 12 More Hours to Restore Power

In response to the extended power outages on Mercer Island, the city of Mercer Island will keep the Community Center open as a warming shelter until 9 p.m. tonight.

Puget Sound Energy says that it may be another 12 hours or more prior to power being restored on Mercer Island. A PSE Service Alert notifcation for the community confirmed that Puget Sound Energy crews are busy working on downed power lines on the 4600 and 5300 blocks of East Mercer Way (and the intersection w/ SE 53rd Place). Trees laden with wet snow and ice as a result of yesterday's ice storm fell into power lines there, closing the roadway and cutting off power to 1,500 Mercer Island homes. "We have been told there are PSE crews on the Island, and they are beyond the assessment phase, working on repairs," said Mercer Island Assistant City Manager Glenn Boettcher. In response to the local power outages, the Mercer Island Community and …

Update: Mercer Island Under Wind, Flood Advisory With Rain in the Forecast

The National Weather Service has issued wind and flood advisories for early Saturday for the region.

Update, 5:40 p.m. Friday: We may be thawing out, but now comes the threat of strong winds and urban flooding. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for most of Western Washington from midnight Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday. From the advisory: Southerly winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph will develop after midnight tonight and continue Saturday morning. Impacts: gusty winds may snap tree branches and cause local power outages. Areas with tree and limb damage caused by the ice storm may see numerous additional falling limbs. Beware snags which are likely to fall when the wind increases overnight.  And an urban and small stream flood advisory for rain and melting snow is also in effect in much of the region, including …

Updated: Closed Roads, NORCOM Asks Residents to Avoid Calling 911 for Information

Residents seeking information about fallen trees that blocked roads and struck power lines should not call 911, say officials.

Update, 5 p.m., Friday: The city has updated the number of roads closed, which are down to three. They are (see 12 p.m. Friday road closed map attached to the right of this story): SE 40th St @West Mercer Way SE 40th St @76th Ave SE SE 44th St @86th Ave SE ... Update, 11 a.m., Friday: Except for the 4600 & 5300 blocks of East Mercer Way (and the intersection w/ SE 53rd Place), Mercer Island Assistant City Manager Glenn Boettcher confirmed all Island streets have now been re-opened as of 10 a.m. Those intersections were blocked by trees falling on power lines and must be repaired by Puget Sound Energy crews. Mercer Island Patch is still trying to confirm the status of the 8200 block of West Mercer Way and the 6800 block of East Mercer Way, …

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Snow May Give Way to Rain by Friday (Story With Links)

The snow is still falling in some areas this evening, which may come with accumulations of snow, but will give over to rain by Friday. However, the snow may take its time thawing.

Update: 5 p.m. The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a winter weather advisory for snow and freezing rain on Mercer Island and the surrounding Seattle area which is in effect until 4 a.m. Friday. The snow and freezing rain will continue tonight with accumulations of between one to two inches of snow, and change over to all rain early Friday morning, the weather service reported. While temperatures from Friday afternoon to Saturday are forecast to have highs in the low to mid-40s and lows in the high 30s, which all is above freezing, the temperature isn’t conducive to a quick thaw, though that it unpredictable, the weather service said. Stay on top of the Winter Weather and snow at Mercer Island Patch by checking our Winter …

Mercer Island Schools Closed Friday, Jan. 20

All Mercer Island schools will remain closed for a third day on Friday, Jan. 20 due to snow and ice conditions.

Update 10 p.m. Jan. 19: All schools on Mercer Island, private and public, have announced they will be closed Friday, Jan. 20. This includes Northwest Yeshiva High School, which is tried to hold final exams this week but never opened due to the snow and ice. Here's what NYHS posted on their website: NYHS will be closed tomorrow, Friday, January 20th due to weather.  Final exams will be held next week (Monday thru Thursday).  Weather permitting, we will be opening the building at school from 9am to 9:30am this Sunday, January 22nd for students to pick up study material.  Enjoy the snow.  Stay warm and safe. ... Original Story: For a third day in-a-row, the Mercer Island School District has canceled classes for Friday because of the weather. …

Update: More Than 1,000 Mercer Island Homes Without Power

Puget Sound Energy is working to restore power to more than 180,000 homes in its service area due mainly to fallen tree branches and ice on power lines from the snow and freezing rain, and outages are expected to continue this afternoon and evening.

Update, 10:30 a.m., Friday: The Service Alert Updates map is having a few issues, which will be fixed shortly. To report the outage call 1-888-225-5773 or send an email to customercare@pse.com with customers name and address. Customers should put “Power Outage” followed by their “city” in the subject line of their email. ... Update, 2:30 p.m., Thursday: According to PSE's service outage map, there are now 1,098 Mercer Island customers without power as of 2:25 p.m. If you click on the map and choose the "zip code restoration view" you can get a sense of whether repairs are under way. As of 2:30 p.m., nearly all the outages on Mercer Island are still listed as "assessment/mobilization," though some repairs have been completed. If you've lost…

Vince

8:43 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012

The entire shorewood heights is without power but I see power everywhere else. 3 years ago they took a week to restore power to this apartment community. Are we on a different grid or not important enough ?   more ›

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