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 Seattle City Light
News Release |
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NEW WINDSTORM HEADING OUR WAY SEATTLE CITY LIGHT RECOMMENDS CUSTOMERS GET READY |
For Immediate Release:
12/30/2008 1:55:00 PM |
For More Information Contact:
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National Weather Service forecasting gale force winds
SEATTLE - Seattle City Light is preparing its crews for a series of winter wind storms heading our way today through Friday. The storms are expected to bring rain and strong winds to the Puget Sound area through the weekend.
"Living in the Pacific Northwest means you need to be ready for winter storms," City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. "Our crews are ready so that if this storm causes any outages, we can restore power as quickly as possible. We have been busy throughout the year clearing tree branches from more than 300 line miles of power lines. Even so, we want our customers to be ready in the event an outage."
The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Advisory today with a forecast for wind gusts up to 35 mph this evening. A storm with more intense winds is predicted to hit our area on New Years day.
City Light has crews ready to respond and the supplies that may be needed should there be a significant wind event. "We’ve asked the Call Center to remain open tonight," says Chris Heimgartner, Energy Delivery and Customer Care Officer for City Light. "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 there is significant wind damage. Our main concern is the saturated ground from the snow and rain. Similar to 2006, this can bring down whole trees onto power lines." City Light has written agreements with other utilities in the region and throughout the West to send back-up crews should the outages and damage be widespread.
If a large-scale storm event occurs, residents should be ready with emergency supplies for at least three days. Items to include are a hand-crank or battery-operated flashlight and radio, fresh batteries, a survival blanket, a first aid kit, pocket tissues and hand sanitizer wipes.
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:
* Do not get within 10’ of any downed wire. Wires should always be assumed to be "live" and dangerous. If someone seeks a downed wire, they should call (206) 706-0051;
* 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;
* Do not use fossil fuel burning auxiliary heating sources;
* 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;
* Know how to manually override electric garage doors, security doors and gates;
* Have a land line phone or fully charged cell phone available - cordless phones won’t work when the power is out;
* 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;
* Use battery-powered flashlights - not candles or oil lamps;
* Close doors, windows, curtains, and unused fireplace dampers to retain heat if there is an outage;
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Seattle City Light is a publicly owned utility dedicated to exceeding our customers' expectations in producing and delivering low cost, reliable power in an environmentally responsible and safe way. We are committed to delivering the best customer service experience of any utility in the nation.
Seattle City Light
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Customer Service
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Call (206) 684-3000
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