White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Just in from King County:

Fewer King County residents than expected are struggling with
weather-related impacts today as the overnight storm packed less of a
punch than forecast. The weather along with staffing and preparations by
King County departments and regional partners combined to help keep
people moving and safe overnight.

King County’s Department of Transportation sanding crews are working
around the clock to keep county roads clear in unincorporated areas.
They’ve deployed 27 trucks with a plow in front and sander on the back,
two plows, nine graders for pushing snow off roadways, and nine
anti-icer trucks.

Metro Transit is operating approximately half of its normal bus service
today. Riders should check the Metro Online website at
www.kingcounty.gov/metro to see if their bus route is operating and if
it is on snow routing; and note that travel conditions can change
quickly so the list of disrupted service may be revised at any time due
to weather and road conditions.

Metro is running Access vans on life-sustaining routes for established
riders.

Metro also helped keep thousands of cars off the roads today by running
its Seahawks shuttle service today to Qwest Field from Eastgate
Park-and-Ride in Bellevue, Northgate Park-and-Ride in North Seattle, and
the South Kirkland Park-and-Ride. Fans should expect crowded conditions
on the shuttles, and should give themselves plenty of time to get to the
game because the buses may be delayed by road and traffic conditions.

Public Health – Seattle & King County has conducted extensive outreach
on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, including contacts with
over 200 retail locations including pharmacies, grocery stores, gas
stations, hardware stores, with many agreeing to post warning pictograms
in multiple languages in their facilities. In addition, over 200 health
care and community-based organizations received carbon monoxide
information for dissemination with their clients. The posters and other
information about carbon monoxide poisoning, including symptoms and
prevention tips, are available online (
www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/disaster/ca
rbon-monoxide-english.aspx).
King County has closed its Factoria Transfer Station in Bellevue and its
Cedar Falls Drop Box in North Bend indefinitely today. The county’s
Houghton Transfer Station in Kirkland was already closed.

All other solid waste transfer facilities are operating normally for
now, but could be closed early due to continuing severe winter weather
conditions. Customers should visit the King County Solid Waste Division
Web site for updates before getting on the road (
your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/transfer.asp).

Considering the widespread snow and wind that pushed through the region,
relatively few residents are facing power outages and Puget Sound Energy
has been able to quickly restore most customers who lost power over the
last 24 hours. Roughly 50 PSE customers scattered throughout King County
are without power.

Although the winter storm warning for the Tacoma/Seattle/Everett Metro
Area has been cancelled, another weather system is expected to bring a
trace to two inches of snow around 2 pm today.

Right now a number of businesses are open in White Center, including Walgreens, Bartell, Pho 88, El Paisano, Taqueria Guaymas, Center Tool Rentals and, of course, Cafe Rozella.   If I have not included your business send me a message or call (206) 763-5805.

A fresh layer of heavy snow coming down.  There is a icy sugar glaze over last night’s snow.  Could be very trecharous so be careful.  Share your pictures.

Come on in for warmth, coffee and conversation.

Some info:

King County road reports can be found here — nothing listed in White Center as of this writing late Saturday night, but there is one in Boulevard Park.

Driving to the airport? A reader tells us Highway 509 is OK but Highway 518 is treacherous. More airport info here (the cell-phone lot is closed).

It’s coming down and the roads are already slicker.  Time to go home.

Hungry for some real burgers and fries?  Zippy’s is open and will stay open till about 7:30.  Fear not foodies.

Just started falling. Info updates re: roads etc. as we get them, as it intensifies. Got pix/info? Leave comments and/or send to the White Center Now team at whitecenternow@gmail.com – thanks!

Lines stretching all the way through the store reported by sister site, West Seattle Blog.  Probably a combination of Christmas shopping (before storm) and storm preparations – bet they are sold out of flashlight, batteries and candles.  Alternatives in White Center:  Walgreens, Bartells and McLendon’s.

As promised, we are open today (Saturday) so if you are suffering cabin fever come on down for a bagel and coffee.

Snow, wind, then eventually rain, the forecasters say it’s all on the way. But first: Thanks to Alison for sharing some photos from earlier in the week – first, sledders at Lakewood Park:

And from her neighborhood, where 12th and 114th SW became “packed snow over ice” before long:

Stay safe – we’ll bring you information as we get it!

From Nancy Woodland at WestSide Baby:

The weather has impacted our operations this week to a near standstill.
This is especially concerning timing with orders waiting for children
expecting warm clothes and toys for Christmas. We need extra hands to help
us sort the many donations we’ve received (yeah!) and to fill orders for
pick up by our agency partners on Monday. We’ve been closed for most of
this week but will be open on Saturday from 10am to 3pm for volunteers,
donations and pick-ups. Although our parking lot can be treacherous we’re
inviting people to make their way to White Center to help out if they are
comfortable driving. Because of the volume, we’d love to have adult or
experienced volunteers only so that we can make the most of the time we’ll
have tomorrow before the snow hits again. Even an hour or two makes a huge
difference.

Because of this week’s unpredictability, please call our phone in the
morning or check our website if there is concerning weather between this
afternoon and tomorrow. Of course, today our voicemail outgoing message
isn’t working properly so we hope that will be a good tool for communication
tomorrow.

We also plan to be open Monday 9-3 (weather permitting) and possibly on
Tuesday too. Thanks so much to everyone who supports WestSide Baby!

P.S. Not related to WestSide Baby but this photo is just in, 16th SW looking south from SW Henderson:

This pic is from the other side of White Center at 16th and 118th. AT the Laundry Mat by Berries BBQ.

Cliff Mass, UW meteorologist, just did his weekend forecast on KUOW.  I consider him much more reliable than other services, he knows the area and what counts.  He states that Sunday’s storm will be the worst of the season, heavy snow (4 to 5 inches), hard winds (up to 50 MPH in the foothills), and continued cold weather.  Says yesterday’s storm was but a prelude.  So stock up on foodstuffs, rum, flashlights and candles.  And don’t plan on travelling anywhere this weekend.  (We will continue to try and keep Cafe Rozella open — so if you get cabin fever, come by.)  You can also read Cliff Mass’ blog here.

Fear not Rozellians, we are open and brewing hot coffee, cool music and scintillating conversation.  Come on in!

Note the “live” (refresh for the latest image) camera in the right sidebar – it’s the only one the county has in White Center; click it for a larger image. Metro has a long list of canceled/changed routes again today; find it here. Winter break has started for every school we know of.

8:46 AM UPDATE: Photo of Roxbury at 5th from Jon, who says: “Looking easy towards Myers Way. Plenty of cars going down the hill.”

Thanks – keep the arterial reports/photos coming at editor@westseattleblog.com Another report: “My hubby made it down the big hill from Roxbury to 509 this morning about 7:30. He said it was sanded like crazy and was passable.”

10:25 AM UPDATE: Lots of King County facility closures – here’s the full list.

Metro has now posted a list of which routes it’s canceled. See it here.

Also, Seattle Public Schools are CLOSED for Friday. Highline Public Schools ALSO closed for Friday. Holy Family School is closed too. Winter break has begun.

Worst cold spell since December of 1990, so we are told.     Well, I remember the snow storm of 1990 quite well:  my daughter was born on the night December 18, 1990.  On the morning of December 17^th , we grabbed the hospital bag and headed  to Virginia Mason across the West Seattle bridge after a sleepless night of painful contractions.   We had no idea as we drove west that we would be one of the last cars allowed on the bridge before it was closed due to ice, effectively sealing off West Seattle.

We arrived at Virginia Mason and went up to the delivery wing.  The attending nurse was skeptical that it was time for the baby to arrive, I guess D wasn’t moaning loud enough.  The nurse put a sheet over the bed, no doubt anticipating that it would be a false alarm and that we would shortly be sent home, as we had two previous times.  When the doctor arrived, she said, “no she’s dilated, this one’s coming out today.”  The midwife was called and the delivery nurses went through the routine to start the watch.  First time deliveries always last forever, even when they don’t.

After hours and hours and hours of hot baths, walking and pushing, they decided to call the guy who delivers the spinal epidural.  The horrible drug, pitocin, was applied making the contractions more intense and painful.  I remember a friend saying that watching delivery is like witnessing your wife being skinned alive.  It was.

By then we had been in Virginia Mason over twelve hours.  We could look out west as the City was blanketed with layer after layer of snow.  Freeways become parking lots as commuters frustrated by hours on the road decided to hoof it in the snow, rather than sleep in their car on the freeway.  And still the snow kept coming.  Nothing was moving.  The VM Chief came to the delivery area and lent a hand to the overworked and understaffed nurses, doctors and midwifes who made it in before the storm hit.  One positive effect of being stranded by a blizzard:  continuity of care, we still had the nurses that we started with.

After the epidural hit, the delivery began in earnest.  It was now way past 15 hours, and we were still struggling.  At 1 a.m. on December 18, 1990, Gabrielle shot out.  The night was bitterly cold and neither D nor I, had eaten anything all day long.  After cutting the umbilical chord and while the nurses were cleaning her up, I ran down and got a bagel with cream cheese for D.  She was ravenous, that stale bagel was the best she had ever tasted.  We were high from watching our daughter arrive and, of course, kept admiring the little bug.  The City outside was shut down, bitterly cold, covered with snow and utterly still, nothing was moving outside.   It was 2 a.m., the head nurse approached me and said, with full gravity, “ok, you can go home now.”

I looked at her as if she just asked me to jump out of the 9^th story window.  “What?”

“You can go home now,” she repeated.

The hell I am, I just spent the last 24 hours delivering my daughter and I’ll be damned if I’m leaving.  Get me cot.

D, Gabrielle and I spent the next two days at VM.  Two days later, a friend in a big car drove us to our West Seattle apartment.  The temperature did not rise above freezing for the next 10 days.  We were stuck in a small apartment with a newborn.  No sleep and shifts walking Gabrielle to sleep made us completely batty.  Cabin fever does not begin to describe our delirium.  We would break out crying over the dumbest thing.  But we were delighted with our angel.  And we were not going to forget the blizzard of 1990.   Happy birthday sweetheart.

Ron Sims was on KUOW this morning.  The issue of the jail’s location was raised by one caller and Sims was unequivocal in saying that, as far as the County goes, the only viable site is downtown, next to the present jail.  This has been my position all along, for reasons which I will be glad to elaborate.  But, the placement is not in the County’s hand, given that this is a regional jail for misdeamenants.  The City of Seattle is the gorilla in the room on this one.  I for one, do not comprehend why they would imbroil the city in litigation (and delay the construction) over the placement of a jail by inserting it into a neighborhood.   Nobody would bat an eye, and everyone would be happier, if the jail was located downtown.  I am not a big Sims fan, but he actually had a number of good ideas today.  More importantly, he didn’t seem burned out, as he has in prior interviews.

PS:  You can twitter Sims and he will add you to his twitter list, giving you direct access.  Do you suppose we could convince Mayor Nickels to put us on his twitter list?

Here are some pics from the White Center area.  Will post some more as soon as I finish my coffee.  Feel free to share your own.

looking out the back deck

16th Ave. SW looking north

16th Ave. SW looking south towards Roxbury

16th Ave. SW looking towards Delridge - notice bus stalled in intersection

Cafe Rozella in December snowstorm