Summary

King County Executive Dow Constantine today took the ferry to visit officials, volunteers and residents on Vashon and Maury Islands to see first-hand the recovery efforts underway to restore power and clear County roads blocked by downed trees.

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine today took the ferry to visit officials, volunteers and residents on Vashon and Maury Islands to see first-hand the recovery efforts underway to restore power and clear County roads blocked by downed trees.

"I thank all of King County's regional partners in both the public and private sector, our volunteers, and the emergency responders who have been working around the clock to ensure a timely recovery from this first winter snowstorm," said Executive Constantine. "The region is quickly stabilizing, due in large part to the communication and coordination skills upon which all agencies and assistance groups are continuing to improve."

The Executive visited the Vashon Island Emergency Operations Center at the Vashon Fire Station, where he and State Senator-elect Sharon Nelson were briefed on communities where Puget Sound Energy is working round-the-clock to restore power and on the roads where the King County Department of Transportation is clearing downed trees.

The Executive also visited the temporary warming center in the adjacent Penny Farcy Fire Training Center and met with volunteers from "VashonBePrepared," which he called "one of the most engaged emergency organizations in our region."

"On Vashon Island today, I could see that the community is becoming more prepared for natural disasters, and more self-sufficient when hit with severe weather like this," said the Executive. "This is a very gratifying result from years of hard work by emergency management professionals and local volunteers. I'm impressed by the planning and training they've done to prepare for situations like this and today they are making a life-saving difference for Island residents."

The King County Road Services Division will have crews working on Thanksgiving Day tomorrow to clear ice and compact snow from Category 1 roads on Vashon Island and throughout unincorporated King County. These are mostly arterials and other high-use roads. Forecasts call for a warming trend after Thursday, but Road Division staff will continue to monitor conditions in case roads ice over again. Among the roads on Vashon are:

• 7th Ave SW between SW Cemetery Rd. and SW Ellisport Rd.
  Status: Open
• Manzanita Beach Rd SW at SW 280th Lane
  Status: Open
• SW Cedarhurst Rd at 11924
  Status: Closed since Wednesday morning by downed trees

Power should be restored by this evening to all but a small handful of residents on the island and warming centers are standing by to accommodate anyone who is still without power.

Access transportation service on Vashon Island has also returned to normal for tonight and tomorrow. The Access service that is normally expected from customers on Vashon and Maury Islands will be delivered through the Thanksgiving holiday.