Heatless in Seattle

December 20, 2008 5:59 PM

Looking for community shelter in case of power outage in Greenlake/Ravenna area of Seattle this weekend.

My daughter and I have been googling and can't locate info on community shelter resources in her area--Greenlake, Seattle in the event of a prolonged winter-storm-related power outage this weekend. In the past we brought her to our place in our 4-wheeler as we had natural gas and her only source of heat is electric. But we've moved out of state, her car isn't equipped to drive on the ice sheets that the streets are there right now, and we're trying to find a place in that area she could walk to with her older diabetic kitty. Churches, libraries, community centers? I've spent a lot of time on the dot gov websites, checked the Red Cross, the Seattle City Light sites--lots about how to treat hypothermia, and have candles on hand, but no info on where to go if one just can't stay warm. One idea is to just run the car to stay warm, but not sure how well that will work over a prolonged period. Any concrete info you can share?

posted by mumstheword to health & fitness (10 comments total)

So, I'm over here in Kitsap County. Greatly enjoying the snow.

People are blowing this entire snow thing entirely out of proportion. Seattle, even as unprepared as it appears to be, will not collapse into barbarism because of the snow. I can't imagine that power would ever be out for more than a few hours at a time.

While I do recognize that they don't handle the streets properly, snow doesn't absorb electricity, nor are power plants especially prone to avalanche.

Whoever it is you're talking about (your daughter?) will be just fine regardless. Even if the power does go out for a few hours, that's what blankets, coats, and scarves are for. It may be uncomfortable, but it isn't going to be life-threatening.

The snow is NOT Armageddon, the apocalypse, or Ragnarök.
posted by Netzapper at 7:28 PM on December 20, 2008

Netzapper, the worry is the potential for high winds, which did leave a lot of us without power for days in a similar storm a couple of years ago.

mumstheword, I'm afraid I don't have any advice, despite living nearby. (We're crossing our fingers the power stays on too.) Seems like the worst of the wind probably isn't going to hit Seattle proper, though.
posted by adiabat at 8:41 PM on December 20, 2008

Thanks, adiabat. The wind is, in fact, my concern. I lived in Seattle for 30+ years and experienced a few power outages that lasted days that we only weathered because we had alternate heat sources. I know sometimes these things are overblown (pun intended)...but it would be nice to know the options, if any...just in case it's not overblown...it's harder to get info once there's no power. FWIW my daughter would probably be less than enthusiastic if she knew I was posting about this. But, while she is a (young) adult... I'm a mom. ; )
posted by mumstheword at 9:15 PM on December 20, 2008

This City of Seattle press release says that people can find warm public spaces at Parks Departments community centers and libraries. It looks like Greenlake has a community center but the hours listed says it's closed on Sundays. The Greenlake library lists its Sunday hours at noon-5pm.

I'm sorry I don't have more definitive information about whether these places will be open. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the power stays on.
posted by creepygirl at 9:47 PM on December 20, 2008

I presume you've seen the local Red Cross web site, which you could check for her if her power goes out; unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to bring her cat to a Red Cross shelter.

In the past, community centers have been shelters. Again, I suspect she won't be able to bring a pet.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:57 PM on December 20, 2008

This is from the King5.com News links:

In Seattle, three severe weather shelters remain open at least through Monday night: City Hall, Frye Hotel, and Seattle Center Pavilion B. Shelter beds are still available.
posted by black8 at 11:20 PM on December 20, 2008

The phone book should have a non-emergency number for the police. They are in charge of public safety, and they will know where there's a shelter.
posted by theora55 at 2:06 PM on December 21, 2008

thanks for all of your responses...so far not a lot of wind up there, I hear...we're watching the Hawks game right now in Oregon and see a lotta snow, though.

You gave good info and it's appreciated!
posted by mumstheword at 2:12 PM on December 21, 2008

She's likely to be fine. Make sure you have a flashlight & batteries, a jug of water, a thermos of hot water, and turn up the heat, so it stays warm longer if the power goes out. Candles and matches are nice, but be careful. Sleeping bag in case of no heat. Not bad for 1 night, after that the shelter looks good.
posted by theora55 at 2:13 PM on December 21, 2008

Thanks for all of the responses...as you probably know, things were anticlimactic weatherwise, but I did send on some of the suggestions/contact points you all posted to my daughter...it made us both feel better I think(...or at least me!!)
posted by mumstheword at 12:50 PM on December 29, 2008