Record snowfall threw Mercer Island into to a white flurry last week, canceling school for three days, closing roads, and keeping most Islanders at home for a long weekend.

Mercer Island received six inches of snow on Thursday, Dec. 18. That amount nearly doubled by Sunday. Drivers were warned about messy highways, with stranded vehicles slowing traffic on 1-90, I-5 and 405. The Town Center, blanketed in white, was quiet since most retail shops and restaurants closed for the weekend. The only noise came from parks and backyards as children shouted with glee, slipping and sliding in the snow. Couples walked arm and arm through downtown Mercer Island, while the occasional cross-country skier could be seen gliding through Mercerdale Park.

“We love it,” said eighth-grader Isabelle Bank, stomping through the snowy Town Center streets with her friends.

“We’re going home to make gingerbread houses,” Audrey Airut-Murphy piped in, holding up a QFC bag full of candy.

Other Islanders were more ambivalent about the snow.

“It’s fun but it’s kinda frustrating not being able to go where you want to when you want to,” said MIHS sophomore Anna Bond. “The sidewalks are sheets of ice.”

With temperatures hovering around freezing all weekend, roads stayed icy and snow packed through Monday. Officials urged Islanders to keep off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

City maintenance worked around the clock with sanders and snow plows, trying to keep Island streets drivable. The city prioritized snow plowing on the I-90 interchanges, in the Town Center, on Island Crest Way and West, North and East Mercer Ways. By Sunday morning, however, the city was down to two plows, as one crashed into a ditch due to the icy conditions. The other plow had mechanical issues, said city communications coordinator Joy Johnston. A number of barricades were put up around the Island, preventing cars from entering dangerous streets.

Compact snow and ice hindered the Mercer Island Fire Department from getting its trucks to a residential fire that broke at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18. All equipment had to be carried 150 yards down a steep driveway. The team extinguished the fire after 71 minutes (see story page 7). With the exception of Thursday’s blaze, the fire department had a relatively normal weekend, despite the snow.

“Yesterday, we had 11 calls, which is over our average, but not unusually high,” lieutenant Stephen Mair said on Dec. 19. “There were a few falls on ice. But everything else was normal.”

The lieutenant said he expects to receive more calls once the weather warms up and frozen water pipes thaw out.

“Exposed pipes will freeze, crack and people won’t be aware of it until the weather gets warmer,” he said. “When it thaws out I imagine we’ll get plenty of calls.”

The Mercer Island Emergency Operation Center (EOC) opened at City Hall at 5 p.m. on Dec. 20 and stayed open until 4 a.m. the next morning.

“We opened the EOC because we were hearing that there were going to be high winds. We were there in case there was a power outage,” said Johnston, who was one of several city staff members to spend the night at City Hall. “We wanted to make sure we were available if there was a dangerous situation.”

Storm warnings, however, went unsubstantiated, with only calm snows throughout Saturday night. The EOC received no emergency calls.

Snowy conditions continued as the Reporter went to press early on Monday, Dec. 22. The city reminds citizens and businesses to keep stocked with emergency supplies, including: food, water, alternative shelter, a land-line telephone, transistor/battery-operated radio and other tools that can help them respond to an emergency. Those who must drive should stock their vehicles with basic safety equipment such as jumper cables, an ice scraper, tow chains, tire chains and a small shovel. Gas tanks should be kept full and ample time should be expected for reaching one’s destination.

All Allied Waste garbage operations were suspended on Thursday, Dec 18. Garbage not collected should be taken off the street as a double load will be collected (at no additional charge) on the next regularly scheduled pick-up day.

Two Island gas stations in the Town Center were closed or with limited supplies on Sunday.

The American Red Cross encourages residents to check on their neighbors who have special needs, such as disabled persons and seniors.

Emergency public information and weather updates are available on the city’s Web site at www.mercergov.org.