Washington | Snow piles up as winter storm barrels through King County region
King County | 18 Jan 2012
A new round of heavy snow is causing major travel headaches all across King County this afternoon – whether you’re driving on major urban arterials or unincorporated rural roads. No area of the county appears to be escaping this latest winter blast.
King County Road Services Division crews are currently reporting very hazardous driving conditions along with several road closures. Most of the county’s road response has focused on plowing and sanding. In many parts of the county, the snow has come down so hard and fast, snow response has been mostly confined to heavily traveled arterials in the county.
Given the amount of snow that’s fallen, road crews are now checking dozens of very steep roadways in the county that are particularly susceptible to snow and ice buildup. As the day progresses, some of those roads may need to be closed if crews determine they are not safe for travel. Currently eight roads are closed, including:
• SE. Lake Holmes Rd. between Auburn-Black Diamond Rd. and 129th Way SE near Auburn
• 103 Ave. SW. between SW. 112th St. and Vashon Hwy SW., Vashon
• 87 Ave. SW. between Dockton Rd. and SW. Cemetery Rd., Vashon
• SW. 268th St. between 94 Ave. SW. and Dockton Rd. SW., Vashon
• 58th Pl. S. between West Valley Hwy. S. and 55th Ave. S. near Algona
• 56th Pl. S. between 55th Pl. S. and West Valley Hwy. S. near Algona
• S. Star Lake Rd. between S. 277th St. and 52nd Ave. S. near Auburn
• 55th Ave. S. between S. 277th St. and S. 284th Way near Auburn
Motorists should continue to monitor travel conditions and road closures by visiting King County’s MyCommute website.
About 150 field staff continue to work twelve-hour shifts to support 24-hour operations countywide. That around-the-clock schedule will continue until conditions improve. The county has about 50 pieces of snow removal equipment (ranging from snowplows and sanders to anti-icing vehicles) available to maintain 1300 miles of urban, suburban and rural roads in unincorporated King County.
Given the potential for additional snow and continued cold temperatures, motorists should closely monitor weather forecasts and adjust their travel plans as necessary. When heading out, make sure you are prepared for winter driving. Some tips to keep in mind include:
• Making sure you have a full tank of gas and your tires are in good condition.
• Having an vehicle emergency kit, including a radio, flashlight, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, a shovel along with food and water in case you get stuck.
• If your car does become stuck, pull as far off the road as possible so snow equipment can get around your car.
While county crews will continue to tend to snow and ice, roadways can quickly refreeze. Steep roads, less traveled roads and bridges can be particularly hazardous, especially at night and during the early morning hours as commuters head out to work.
Depending on the severity of the storm, some roads will be plowed and sanded less often than others. In general, snow response on roadways will occur in the following order of priority:
• Major roads such as key arterials and main thoroughfares connecting densely populated areas.
• Smaller roadways that carry traffic from local streets to arterial roadways connecting towns and cities.
• Secondary commuter routes that are considered important connectors to the County’s larger network of roads.
For more information about the King County Road Services Division’s snow and ice plan online.
Washington | HazMat team called to Eastlake apartment complex
Seattle | Around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday Night, the Seattle Fire Department Hazardous Material Team responded to an apartment on the 3200 block of Eastlake Avenue for reports of a suspicious package. Seattle Police Officers called the Hazardous Material Team to the scene after determining there was a potential credible threat.
The Seattle resident received a small package with an unfamiliar return address that contained a small “pill-sized” bottle that was wrapped in packaging tape. The resident did not open the container and called 911.
The Hazardous Material Team isolated the apartment and evacuated adjacent units as a precaution. Detection equipment did not pick up any atmospheric hazards coming from the package. The Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad determined the package was not a threat and did not contain a hazardous material.
Shortly before 10 p.m., all of the residents were allowed to return to the 18 unit apartment complex.
Washington | Six injured in Seattle FD RTC involving Aid Unit
Seattle | Six patients including two Seattle Firefighters were transported to Harborview Medical Center after a car ran into a Seattle Fire Department Aid Unit. The accident occurred at 12:47 a.m. at the corner of 4th Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Seattle.
Two firefighters in the Aid Unit were responding with their lights and sirens to an emergency call in the 1300 block of 6th Avenue. The Aid Unit was on 4th Avenue traveling North when, according to witnesses, a silver Infiniti car, traveling Eastbound on Cherry Street, ran the red light at a high rate of speed and hit the Aid Unit.
All 4 patients in the Infiniti were transported to Harborview Medical Center. All four were young men in their 20’s. A Seattle Fire Department Medic Unit transported one patient in serious condition while three others were transported in stable condition by AMR. Two Seattle Firefighters were taken to Harborview Medical Center to be examined and were later released.
The Seattle Police Department’s Traffic Collission Investigation team spent the early morning hours investigating the accident scene. The intersection of 4th and Cherry was shut down for several hours during the investigation.
Due to the damage to the Aid Unit, it was taken out of service and towed to the Charles Street Garage for repairs. The Silver Infiniti suffered extensive damage.
Another Engine Company responded to the original emergency call in the 1300 block of 6th Avenue.
Washington | King County opens Flood Warning Center as Snoqualmie River rises from heavy rain
King County | The King County Flood Warning Center opened at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28 to monitor rising flows on the Snoqualmie River from heavy rainfall in the area.
As of 11:30 a.m., the sum of the Snoqualmie River’s three forks was flowing at 12,010 feet per second (cfs), which is just above the 12,000 cfs threshold for a Phase II flood alert level on the Snoqualmie River. At this flow, only minor flooding can be expected, including the potential for water over Neal Road and possibly a handful of other roads in the Snoqualmie Valley.
A Phase II flood alert level is the level of the County’s four-phase warning system at which the Flood Warning Center activates to monitor conditions.
Flood Warning Center staff will monitor stream gages and weather reports, and will provide updated information on river conditions as necessary. Real-time river level information is available online at http://www.kingcounty.gov/flood.
Updated information on flooding will also be posted on the King County website at http://www.kingcounty.gov, or via RPIN, the area’s regional information website, at http://www.rpin.org. A recorded flood-information hotline is also updated each hour for citizens wanting information in flood areas. The number is 206-296-8200 or 1-800-945-9263.
Citizens who need help interpreting flood information should call 206-296-4535 or 1-800-768-7932. Problems on county maintained roads can be reported by calling 206-296-8100 or 1-800-KC-ROADS.
An automated flood alert system is available and provides real-time warning of potential high water on more than a half-dozen rivers. King County residents and business owners can sign up to receive King County Flood Alerts by visiting www.kingcounty.gov/flood, or by calling 206-263-3400 during regular business hours to register by phone. Messages of potential high flows on any of King County’s major river systems can be sent by phone, text or email.
Washington | Rabies vaccine to be mandatory for pet dogs, cats, and ferrets
Olympia WA | New Year, new rule. Pet dogs, cats, and ferrets in the state must be current on their rabies vaccination starting January 1, 2012. This new rule aims to reduce the number of rabies exposures in Washington. Rabies is one of the oldest and most deadly diseases. Every year in Washington, several hundred people have to get the series of rabies shots because of possible exposure to the rabies virus. Vaccinating pets prevents them from getting rabies and helps protect you and your family, too.
The Department of Health Zoonotic Disease program (www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/ZOO.HTM) says the new rule requires owners of dogs, cats, and ferrets to have their pets vaccinated against rabies. Many cities and counties require rabies vaccinations for some pets, but vaccinations have never been required by the state. Vaccinating pets is one of the most effective ways of preventing rabies. People should talk to their veterinarian about vaccinations and rabies prevention.
In Washington, bats are the primary source of rabies. Each year many bats test positive for rabies across the state. Pet encounters with sick bats are one of the primary ways pets are exposed to rabies, and their owners can be exposed when they take the bats away from their pets. Cats are the most commonly affected domestic animal nationwide, with twice as many cats testing positive for rabies as dogs.
Coming into contact with an infected bat could be life-threatening without post-exposure rabies vaccination. People should never handle a bat; it may be infected with rabies. If you’re exposed to rabies you must get treatment immediately. Once symptoms develop it’s too late. The most recent human rabies cases in the state were in 1995 and 1997, and the last domestic animal in Washington to test positive was a cat in 2002.
There was a time early in our state’s history when rabies was rampant in King and Pierce counties, with numerous animals and people contracting the disease. Since rabies vaccinations began many years ago there’s been a dramatic decrease in animal rabies cases.
In many countries worldwide, rabies occurs widely in domestic animals, especially dogs. Animals imported from these countries are a potential risk of exposure to other pets and people. State and federal rules are in place to ensure that imported animals have proper vaccinations and medical records.
Washington | Controlling spread of TB remains an ongoing challenge in King County
King County WA | King County continues to have one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) infection rates in the United States, because of the world-wide epidemic and the region’s status as a global crossroads. Public Health – Seattle & King County’s new 2010 TB report—online at www.kingcounty.gov/health/tb—details these latest findings, its work in controlling the spread of the disease, and the ongoing and expensive challenge of battling drug resistant strains of TB.
In 2010, Public Health’s TB Program identified 114 cases of active TB and provided treatment and/or evaluation to more than 1,100 King County residents with active or latent TB. Nearly one in five people treated for active TB in King County are resistant to at least one medication, and two people had multi-drug resistant infections. The costs of treating multi-drug resistant TB can add up to $250,000 for each case. Further, approximately 100,000—or about five percent of people in King County—have latent TB infection. Globally, about two million die from TB every year, and one third of the population is infected.
“TB control is an essential investment in the health of our communities that helps us fight the local effects of this global disease,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director & Health Officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County. “In these difficult budget times, state funding support for this work is now threatened, but we can’t afford to let down our guard.”
Public health funding has experienced drastic cuts over the last few years, and further proposed cuts in Olympia threaten core services, including TB control.
In addition to diagnosing and treating people with active TB, the TB Control Program also screens the family, friends and close contacts of people with active TB. In 2010, the TB Program tested more than 450 close contacts of people with active TB and found that nearly one-quarter were infected with latent (or dormant) TB.
“If we catch TB infection before it becomes active, treatment is cheaper and easier,” said Dr. Masa Narita, TB Control Officer for Public Health. “Best of all, fewer people will get sick with active tuberculosis.”
Additional findings in the 2010 TB Annual Report include:
- King County’s infection rate, at 5.9 residents per 100,000, was one and one half times the United States rate of 3.6 per 100,000, and the Washington state rate of 3.5.
- People of color continue to have disproportionately high rates of TB.
- 84 percent of infected individuals were born outside of the U.S., primarily Southeast Asia and India, East Africa and Central America.
Background on TB
Tuberculosis, also called TB, is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium named Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB often involves the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can infect almost any organ in the body. TB is almost always curable with antibiotics that are readily available in countries such as the United States.
People with active TB disease are made sick by bacteria that are active in their body. People with latent, or dormant, TB infection are not sick because the germ is inactive inside their body, and they cannot spread TB infection to others.
To view the 2010 summary data and for more information on Public Health’s TB Control Program and activities, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/health/tb.
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