Winter weather is just beginning, and people everywhere are gearing up for the season of potential storms.
The city of Mercer Island has created a new webpage solely devoted to housing all its winter storm information and updates. It is a page on the city’s engagement website, Let’s Talk Mercer Island, and it serves as a one-stop shop for all city information related to storms and weather related emergencies.
The Winter Storm Ready page aims to help citizens find everything they need quickly and provides guidance for citizens to be prepared. Ross Freeman, city communications manager, said the new site has been popular, and it’s easier to direct audiences all to one consolidated place.
“We understand that not everyone follows social media, or has time to track multiple websites and conversations. That’s why we built this new Winter Storm page on our public engagement website,” Freeman said. “In one place, residents can easily find all the latest storm impacts, connect to weblinks, and even sign up to receive a daily email during storm events. We update the page as conditions change – so far, it’s been quite popular.”
The page can be found at letstalk.mercergov.org/weather. There, Islanders can find helpful information and also sign up for alerts.
The webpage lists all city plow routes, safety tips, road closures and landslide information. It also houses direct links to Puget Sound Energy’s power outage map and the city’s service request portal.
The city encourages everyone to be prepared with extra flashlight batteries, emergency kits for cars and homes, cell phone backup power, and a plan for what to do if weather prevents returning home. It also recommends keeping vehicle gas tanks at least half full and requests cars not be left in the street in order to allow snow plows to clear the roads.