It’s February and an extended streak of cold winter weather with a possibility of snow is expected in the region this week. The coldest days are anticipated on Thursday and Friday, so please prepare now for snow, ice, and freezing temperatures.
Here are some basic tips on how to prevent freezing pipes and what to do if pipes do freeze or burst. For outside plumbing, disconnect garden hoses, and use a molded foam cover, available at hardware stores, to protect the faucet. If your home has a separate shut off for outside faucets, shut off the valve and drain the lines by turning on all outside faucets until the water stops. Once drained turn the faucets back off. For inside plumbing, insulate pipes in unheated areas like your crawl space, attic, garage or basement.
Snow, wind, and freezing temperatures may lead to power outages. With so many people dependent upon electricity, please prepare with blankets, flashlights/lanterns, portable phone chargers, food, water, and medication refills in case you are unable to get to the store.
During a snow or ice event residents can help by moving vehicles from city streets until snow removal is complete, locating alternate parking if you live on a steep hill, staying off roads until conditions improve, allowing plenty of time to get to your destination, and leaving plenty of room between vehicles. When you encounter trucks engaged in snow or ice removal, yield the right of way if you can do so safely, keep back at least 50 feet, and do not attempt to pass.
The city’s Public Works crews prepare roads by deicing and procuring materials in advance to aid in snow removal and sanding. The city’s fleet includes trucks equipped with snowplows and sand/salt spreaders and a truck equipped with a liquid deicer applicator.
Snow removal and deicing routes are prioritized according to volume and speed of traffic, terrain, transit routes, routes to schools and routes utilized by emergency services. (See map of priority snow removal routes.) During and immediately following a storm, crews will concentrate on the established primary and secondary routes. Once these prioritized routes have been cleared, crews will begin plowing third tier routes that serve residential neighborhoods. Please do not call or email the city to request plowing.
South Snohomish County’s Emergency Cold Weather shelter is located in Lynnwood and opens on nights with temperatures below 34 degrees. There are four pick up locations in South Snohomish County including Bethesda Lutheran Church in Mountlake Terrace. More information can be found at www.WeAllBelong.org.
The city will post information to its Facebook (City of Mountlake Terrace Government) and Twitter (CityofMLT) pages. Current news releases are also posted on the city’s homepage of its website at www.cityofmlt.com.
For more emergency preparedness information, please visit www.cityofmlt.com/183.