More snow and cold temperatures are on the way.

Take Winter By Storm, a multi-media, public awareness and safety engagement program, has some tips for preparing for severe winter weather:

· If an inlet or street drain appears to be blocked by snow or debris, try to safely clear a channel to provide a path for the runoff. If the drain cannot be cleared, or if the cause of the blockage or flooding is uncertain, call Seattle Public Utilities at (206) 386-1800.

· Protect your water pipes from freezing. Shut off outside faucets, drain the water and protect them by insulating them with foam covers.

· If you’re going to be away, or if you have renters or own a vacant property, ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily to make sure it’s warm enough to prevent freezing — or shut off and drain the water system. Be aware that if you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your house, it will be deactivated when you shut off the water.

· Drain and remove all outdoor hoses, and shut off and drain in-ground sprinkler systems.

· Pipes in exposed or unheated areas (attics, basements and garages) should be wrapped with tape and insulating materials, available at local hardware stores.

· Property owners should check for any exposed pipes in unheated areas. That includes basements, garages, attics and crawl spaces.

· Once it drops below freezing, protect indoor sink pipes that are against exterior walls by opening under-sink cabinet doors, allowing heat to circulate. During severe cold, allow the faucet farthest from your front door to slowly drip cold water. Set your thermostat no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit, day or night (even if you are away).

· Do not leave water running in unoccupied buildings. If the drain should plug, it could cause a flood.

· Please don’t use hair dryers to thaw frozen pipes — you face the risk of electrocution!

· If a water pipe breaks, immediately close the main shut-off valve to stop flooding. If you cannot turn off the main shut-off valve, Seattle residents can call 206-386-1800 and a crew will turn off the water at the meter for a standard service charge.

A great list of resources to stay posted on the this week’s weather is available on GeekWire, via Mónica Guzmán.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: emergency preparedness, weather

Green Lake Small Craft Center

The Seattle Board of Park Commissioners, a seven-member citizen board, will hold its next public meeting on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the Activity Resource Center at the Woodland Park Zoo (5500 Phinney Ave N).

The meeting agenda includes an update on Woodland Park Zoo activities from  Zoo Executive Director Deborah Jensen. The Woodland Park Zoo Society operates the zoo under a management agreement with the City of Seattle.

There will also a briefing on Seattle Parks emergency preparedness. Parks staff will brief the Board on how Parks and Recreation is prepared to deal with natural or man-made disasters, and how Parks staff fit into the City’s overall emergency preparedness program.

A briefing on “City Council direction on Parks small craft centers” is also on the agenda. Parks staff will “brief the Board on progress responding to a City Council statement of legislative intent directing Parks to examine the operations of the small craft centers, Green Lake Small Craft Center (5900 W Green Lake Way N) and Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, with an eye to making them financially independent.”

The Park Board meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month to advise the Parks and Recreation Superintendent, the Mayor, and the City Council on parks and recreation matters.

For more information, please call Sandy Brooks at 206-684-5066 or email her at sandy.brooks [at] seattle.gov.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: boating, emergency preparedness, parks and rec, zoo

Earlier today (Friday, July 15, 2011), the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods announced that the next cycle of the Small and Simple Projects Fund will focus on emergency preparedness.

The funding opportunity is being offered by the Department of Neighborhoods in partnership with the Office of Emergency Management. The goal is to help community members connect, organize, and plan for emergency situations with their neighbors.

“Community members won’t have to apply for funds,” Lois Maag of the Department of Neighborhoods says. “We will have a menu of options, from supplies to training to community gatherings, to select from, so the process will be easier.”

The Small and Simple Projects Fund provides up to $20,000 in funding to support community members in building community relationships around a project.

Although a matching contribution is required from community members, Maag says that the requirement can be fulfilled by community participation and volunteer hours.

Past Green Lake projects funded by the Small and Simple Projects Fund include the addition of a street mural to a busy intersection in north Green Lake, the establishment of the Olallie Native Garden at Green Lake Elementary School, and a mural on Aurora Ave N.

No applications outside of the new emergency preparedness focus will be accepted for the last cycle of the 2011 Small and Simple Projects Fund. The exception is for existing capital projects funded by the Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) that are ready for their next phase of implementation; these projects will be invited to apply by their NMF project manager.

Once the new focus is finalized later this fall, information on project types, funding amounts, and the application process will be available on the Department of Neighborhood’s website.

The deadlines for the 2012 cycles of the Small and Simple Projects Fund will be announced in November.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: building community, emergency preparedness, volunteer

Paul heads up the Community Council’s Emergency Preparedness Committee, which aims to have a plan in place so that Green Lake residents can get information and help in the event of an emergency or disaster.

The group is creating four emergency hubs in the area:

1. Lower Woodland Park hub
2. McDonald School hub (114 NE 54th St)
3. Green Lake Community Center hub (7201 E Green Lake Dr N)
4. Daniel Bagley Elementary hub (7821 Stone Avenue N)

The hubs will be places to volunteer, get and share information, and report injuries and emergency needs.  They will be particularly crucial if the power is out and phones are nonoperational.

On the morning of Saturday, April 16, 2011, the Green Lake Community Center emergency hub will be activated as a practice dry run. The hub will be set up outside the Community Center, near the basketball courts on the south side of the building. The tentative schedule is for 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The committee is looking for volunteers who would like to get involved in the April 16 dry run, or in the general emergency preparedness effort.  In particular, licensed GMRS and ham radio operators are needed. However, all are welcome to lend a hand in a variety of roles including Hub Greeter, Hub Message Intaker, and Hub Message Manager.

For more information, contact Paul Kostek at pkostek [at] aol.com or 206-915-6645.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: earthquake, emergency preparedness, green lake community council, volunteer

The committee is working with the City of Seattle Emergency Operations Center and members of other community planning groups, including the Wallingford Community Council Emergency Preparedness Committee.

The Green Lake Emergency Preparedness Committee aims to have a plan in place so that Green Lake residents can get information and help in the event of an emergency or disaster.

The group is creating four emergency hubs in the area:

1. A Lower Woodland Park hub, jointly operated with the Wallingford group.
2. A McDonald School hub (114 NE 54th St), jointly operated with the Wallingford group.
3. A Green Lake Community Center hub (7201 E Green Lake Dr N).
4. A Daniel Bagley Elementary hub (7821 Stone Avenue N).

The hubs will be places to volunteer, get and share information, and report injuries and emergency needs.  They will be particularly crucial if the power is out and phones are nonoperational.

On Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., there will be a city-wide communications drill.  The committee is planning to activate the Green Lake Community Center emergency hub.  All interested volunteers will have an opportunity to see and participate in the drill.  A training session will be held in January.

The committee is looking for volunteers who would like to get involved in the February drill or in the general emergency preparedness effort.  In particular, licensed GMRS and ham radio operators are needed.   For more information, contact Paul Kostek at pkostek [at] aol.com or 206-915-6645.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: earthquake, emergency preparedness, green lake community council, volunteer

Photo courtesy Amy Iacopi

If you would like to stay current with as-it-happens news about snow’s impact on the Green Lake neighborhood, we invite you to follow @MyGreenLake on twitter.

You don’t need to have a twitter account yourself to access our twitter page and read our real-time updates.  However, if you are not familiar with twitter, it might look a little wonky.  Here’s a quick and dirty explanation of what’s going on:

Words and names that begin with an @ indicate a twitter account name, or “twitter handle.”  So, we’re @MyGreenLake.

If you see “RT” before a tweet, that stands for “Re-Tweet,” and it means that we are repeating a tweet sent by someone else.  Following the “RT” you will see the tweet originator’s twitter handle.  So, if you see “RT @wsdot_traffic,” that means we are re-tweeting a tweet sent out by WSDOT.

If you see a tweet that starts with a twitter handle, that tweet, although public, was primarily meant for that particular twitter handle.  So, if you see a tweet of ours start off with “@MyWallingford,” that means that we are saying something to My Wallingford, but we are saying it publicly so you can listen in.

All of that said, if you don’t plan on using twitter yourself, you can ignore these details … just know that when you check our twitter stream, it might look a little bit like alphabet soup.

One important tip: to get the most up-to-date tweets, you will need to refresh the page.

Also, please keep in mind that checking @MyGreenLake is the best way to get breaking news about Green Lake.  If there is ever any kind of disaster, please check there for real-time updates.  As long as we have power, we will be updating twitter and keeping you informed.

Thanks, Green Lake!  Please keep warm and safe.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: emergency preparedness, weather

Over the weekend, the first storm of the season brought expected wind and rain, and as a result, caused significant leaf fall throughout Seattle. Winds are on the decrease, but additional rain is forecast for later this week, so now is a good time to prevent localized flooding by keeping your storm drain clear of fallen leaves and other debris.

Consider joining volunteers across the city who help maintain a critical part of our utility infrastructure through the city’s “Adopt-A-Drain” program. For more information from Seattle Public Utilities on storms and flooding in Seattle, click here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: emergency preparedness, weather

The meeting will be 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 in the Board Room at The Hearthstone (6720 E Green Lake Way N).

Mark Howard of the Seattle Office of Emergency Management will be speaking on the City of Seattle’s emergency preparedness efforts.  The committee will then begin to create an Emergency Preparedness Work Plan for Green Lake.

Please contact Paul Kostek at pkostek [at] aol.com or 206-915-6645 for more information.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: earthquake, emergency preparedness, green lake community council, volunteer

The Green Lake Community Council’s Emergency Preparedness Committee would like to hear from you.

In the event of an emergency or disaster, the committee is planning on setting up four emergency hubs.  These hubs will be places where Green Lake residents can get and share information, particularly if the power is out and phones are nonoperational.  GMRS and ham radio operators will be needed at the hubs to relay and receive information from other neighborhood hubs and the City of Seattle Emergency Operations Center.

The hubs will be located at Lower Woodland Park, McDonald School (114 NE 54th St), Green Lake Community Center (7201 E Green Lake Dr N), and Daniel Bagley Elementary (7821 Stone Avenue N).

If you are a licensed GMRS or ham radio operator and would like to volunteer to help out in the event of an emergency or disaster, please contact Paul Kostek at pkostek [at] aol.com or 206-915-6645.

photo credit: Axel Schwenke

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, earthquake, emergency preparedness, green lake community council, mcdonald school, volunteer, woodland park

The committee is working with the City of Seattle Emergency Operations Center and members of other community planning groups, including the Wallingford Community Council Emergency Preparedness Committee.

The Green Lake Emergency Preparedness Committee aims to have a plan in place so that Green Lake residents can get information and help in the event of an emergency or disaster.

The group is creating four emergency hubs in the area:

1. A Lower Woodland Park hub, jointly operated with the Wallingford group.
2. A McDonald School hub (114 NE 54th St), jointly operated with the Wallingford group.
3. A Green Lake Community Center hub (7201 E Green Lake Dr N).
4. A Daniel Bagley Elementary hub (7821 Stone Avenue N).

The hubs will be places to get and share information, volunteer, and report injuries and emergency needs.  They will be particularly crucial if the power is out and phones are nonoperational.

The committee is looking for volunteers who would like to get involved in the emergency preparedness effort.  In particular, licensed GMRS and ham radio operators are needed.   For more information, contact Paul Kostek at pkostek [at] aol.com or 206-915-6645.

A large crack opened near the south end of Green Lake during Seattle's April 13, 1949 earthquake. | Photo courtesy seattlepi.com

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, earthquake, emergency preparedness, green lake community council, mcdonald school, volunteer, wallingford, woodland park