Seattle City Light             News Release

Residents Should Be Ready in the Event of Outages

SEATTLE — A spring storm is headed towards the Puget Sound area later tonight.  Wind and rain is expected to hit the Seattle area about 10 p.m.  Winds of 30 mph with gusts of 45 mph are expected to hit sometime between midnight and 4 a.m. according to the National Weather Service.  The storm seems to be moving in a south-to-north track.

The storm could cause some scattered outages.

"We saw some outages on Saturday night when the winds weren't quite as strong as they are predicted for tonight and into the early morning tomorrow," says Bernie Ziemianek, Energy Delivery Director.  "We are holding our graveyard crews over in the north and south service territories, just in case.  We aren't expecting this to be a significant event, but we are prepared."

Even though this isn't the usual time of year we experience storms, the utility encourages its customers to be prepared. In the event of a large-scale outage, residents should be prepared for going without power for at least three days.

One of the best preparation steps is to assemble an emergency kit with at least three days of food and water for each person in the family and any family pets. Other 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. For a complete list of what to include in an emergency kit, please visit www.govlink.org/3days3ways.

In the event of an outage:

• Beware of deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. NEVER use generators or portable grills indoors, even in a garage. Always use them outdoors with plenty of ventilation to avoid toxic fumes.
• Have contact sources who are outside of the area and who can give you up-dated information from City Light's Web site.
• Use the portable, battery-operated radio from your emergency kit for the latest outage information.
• Cell phones are useful during an outage. They can be re-charged with a manual, hand-cranked recharger or a battery powered recharger. A telephone that operates on a hard wire (land line) can be useful too. Cordless phones won't work if there is a power outage.
• Check your circuit breaker or a fuse box first. Learn how to reset the circuit breaker or safely change a fuse, and keep proper spares.
• Look around the neighborhood to see if your neighbor's lights are off.
• Call Customer Service at (206) 684-3000 to report the outage or call the Power Outage Hotline at (206) 684-7400 to hear a recorded message about current outages and power restoration updates. If your neighborhood is not listed, then stay on the line to provide your address and additional information. 
• Use battery-powered flashlights for illumination. Avoid candles, oil lamps or anything with an open flame.
• Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible to keep food fresh. A full refrigerator will maintain safe temperatures for up to six hours; a full freezer for up to two days. Discard at-risk refrigerated foods that are warmer than 45 degrees F. If in doubt, throw it out.
• Check your home alarm system. Some home alarm systems are triggered by power outages.
• Use hot water sparingly. Most hot water tanks will retain heat for up to 24 hours.
• Unplug or turn off sensitive electronic equipment to protect it from power surges.
• Locate and use the manual override for your electric garage doors or gates.
• Leave one or two lights on to alert you that service is restored.
• When power is restored, turn on electrical appliances gradually. Sudden heavy consumption can drain the electrical system and extend the outage.

Media outlets are asked to link their Web site to the Seattle City Light's home page for more information and outage up-dates: www.seattle.gov/light.

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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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