• Stay Informed and sign up for DriveKent.com alerts.
• Follow @cityofkent and @kentpublicworks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Public Works Operations
  •  To report flooding, water over roadways or downed trees or power lines call Public Works at 253-856-5600.
• Valley Com
  •  For situations where emergency services personnel are needed but there is no danger or life-threatening circumstance at the time, call the Valley Com Non-Emergency line: 253-852-2121
    
• Puget Sound Energy
  • Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines, they may be energized. To report problems to PSE, call 1-888-225-5773.
  • Report an outage: pse.com/outage
  • View outage map: pse.com/outagemap
    
• Cold Weather Shelters
  • Shelters provide emergency refuge leading up to and during severe cold weather conditions.
  • Contact Housing and Human Services at 253-856-5070 to learn more

Maintain emergency supplies

During an intense winter storm, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Emergency supplies are basic items your household may need in the event of emergencies. It’s never too late to get a kit together.

• First-aid kit
• Flashlights with batteries
• Plenty of water and non-perishable food
• Manual can-opener, wrench or pliers
• Duct tape
• Battery operated radio
• Personal hygiene items and medicine
• Portable battery and charging cords for electronic devices
• Fire extinguisher
• More Information

Prepare Your Vehicle

Winter driving conditions can be hazardous. Prepare yourself for driving in rain, snow and ice, and make sure your vehicle is capable.

• Install snow tires/replace worn tires.
• Practice installing tire chains
• Check your anti-freeze levels.
• Check your windshield wipers and fluid levels.
• Ensure your heater and defroster work.
• Ensure your headlights work.
• Keep emergency supplies in your car.

Prepare Your Home

Get ahead of winter weather and make sure your home is ready to handle the cold to come.

• Insulate your water pipes and faucets.
• Repair roof leaks.
• Clear debris from storm drains and gutters.
• Make sure your furnace and chimney work.
• Check the batteries in your carbon-monoxide and smoke detectors.
• Take precautions to avoid carbon-monoxide poisoning if you use a generator.
• More Information

Stay safe during a winter storm

Winter storms are dangerous. They can bring cold temperatures, power outages, loss of communication services, and icy roads. This can make being outside dangerous, so you should limit your time outside.

• Stay indoors and stay warm.
• Stay hydrated and eat regularly.
• Conserve fuel and battery when possible.
• Bring your companion animals inside before the storm begins.
• If you must go outside: wear layered clothing, keep dry, walk carefully, avoid overexertion, watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite and use public transportation if possible.
• If you must drive your vehicle: check the latest road conditions, drive carefully, let someone know where you’re going, and make sure you have emergency supplies.
• Call 911 for health and safety emergencies, including an accident during the weather event.
• If you have a medically necessary appointment and need to leave your home, please call 911. They can contact the local jurisdiction and coordinate with them for access assistance.
• More Information (more here)

Prepare for Flooding

While Kent continues to build and maintain our drainage infrastructure and is actively involved with FEMA and other agencies to improve our levels of flood protection, there is no way to fully eliminate the risk of flooding.

• Verify your flood insurance.
• Mark circuits to floodable areas in fuse box.
• Know how to shut off the electricity and gas to your house before a flood.
• Make a household inventory, a list of emergency numbers and safe places
  to go.
• More Information

Snow & Ice Preparation

The City of Kent begins its seasonal weather monitoring forecast subscription in October to help predict possible weather events. We receive daily reports on current and upcoming weather concerns, and our 24-hour monitoring system informs us of changing weather patterns that might affect road conditions.

• Mechanics check and prepare snow and ice equipment prior to the beginning of every winter season, and staff in Fleet Services must acquire special certifications to work on the large equipment that is used for weather event responses.
• Message boards are pre-deployed for road closures or winter weather advisories on Veterans Drive, Military Rd, E James St, SE 208th St, 116th Ave SE at Kent Kangley, I St NE at S 277th St.
• Signage is pre-deployed throughout the City in preparation for predicted snow and ice events. If you see them on the sides of roadways, please leave them there. Having pre-deployed signage allows staff to quickly and efficiently close roads that become too icy for travel.
• When winter weather is in the forecast, trucks and equipment are prepped and staged for an appropriate response.  For larger events  trucks and equipment is staged on the West and East hills.  

 Department Operating Center

• The Department Operating Center (DOC) is activated in situations requiring emergency response on a large scale. DOC ensures response operations run smoothly and that dispatched crews are effective.
• The DOC is activated when 3 or more trucks are dispatched or actively working in the City for weather response. City staff work in 12-hour shifts which are predetermined so they can be implemented immediately when needed. Once deployed, we are staffed 24/7.
• Experienced snow and ice response staff members operate the DOC to create a forward-looking plan, leading response efforts and coordinating communication with Police, Fire and Emergency Response. The location and condition of equipment, staff and materials are tracked, and traffic cameras are monitored as well.

Response Priorities

• Roadway priority is based on several factors, including safety concerns, slope of the hill or grade, average daily traffic volume, and the needs of emergency services.
• During an active widespread response, we position 8 trucks on the East Hill, 3 trucks in the Valley, and 5 on the West Hill. Major streets that allow traffic to move through the City and pose a greater hazard to travelers due to steeper terrain are considered primary roadways and are prioritized, followed by secondary roadways and residential roadways which connect to major streets.

Priority Level 1 - Arterial Roads on Hills - These are treated first due to their steep grades and designations as major commuter roads: 

• S. 208th St.
• S. 218th St
• S. 272nd St.
• S. 277th St.
• Canyon Drive
• Military Road
• Reiten Road
• Reith Road
• Veterans Drive

Priority Level 2 - Approaches to Major Intersections - These are treated next, with one lane in each direction on selected major routes. King County and Metro Transit winter storm bus routes are cleared as soon as there is a significant lull in the weather event. 

Priority Level 3 - Residential Collector Roads - These connect residential areas to arterial roads and may take up to 3 days to complete, depending on the severity of the road conditions and  whether police, fire, or medical services request access assistance.

Notes

• Clearing sidewalks and making safe pathways for pedestrians are the responsibility of the adjacent property owners.  
• The City is not able to plow residential streets due to how narrow the roadways are when they are lined with parked vehicles. Our large vehicles have little room to turn around and  passage can be hazardous.
• Trucks stay focused on Priority 1 roadways until snowfall accumulation has stopped and they have been treated. Trucks then being focusing on Priority 2 and Priority 3 routes. 
• If the snowfall picks back up again, trucks will be pulled back onto Priority 1 routes. Every weather event is different, and every response will be unique. These decisions are examined thoroughly and made with the safety and needs of  the community in mind.

Snow and Ice Route Map

Equipment

The City of Kent has a fleet of vehicles that are well-equipped to maintain roads and respond to emergency situations during weather events.

• 16 trucks equipped with plows, 14 with sanders, 2 deicer units and 6 light duty trucks.
• 70 sets of chains available for city vehicles.
• We use automatic vehicle location and very high frequency systems to monitor the location of snowplows and display their routes online.

Anti-icer, Salt and Sand
We use liquid anti-icer, sand and salt to improve roadway conditions when possible. Kent, Renton and Auburn all use different products for anti-icing, but a universal component in all the compounds is salt, which can be corrosive over time.

You should thoroughly wash your vehicle, including the bottom/underside of the vehicle, after an inclement weather event to help prevent corrosion damage.

• We have storage for sand and salt on the East and West Hills and storage for liquid anti-icer in the Valley at the Russell Road Maintenance Facility. We keep 14,000 gallons of liquid anti-icer, 800 tons of rock salt and 3,000 tons of sand on hand.

• Liquid anti-icer is used to pretreat identified roadways when there is a warning of freezing conditions with no accompanying prediction of precipitation.
  • It needs to be 38 degrees and dropping for application of anti-icer, if the temperature is 39 or above then the anti-icer dissipates and is not effective. Roadway conditions also need to be dry for application of anti-icer.
  • After a road surface has liquid anti-icer applied, there are visible lines that appear as strips of pavement that are shiny, may be darkened, and run parallel to the travel lane.
• Salt is used to melt snow and ice and aid traction. When spreading material, the truck operator will dispense or apply the material in/near the intersection of the roadway they are treating. The flow of traffic traveling through the intersection tracks the material further away from the intersection.
• Sand is used to provide traction on compacted snow and ice. It cannot be applied to roadways when snow is falling since it would just be covered up. Instead, crews plow the accumulating snow. After snowfall stops, sand is applied to damp roadways to assist with traction. Sand is ineffective on dry roadways.

Clean Up

When the snow starts to turn to slush, the snowplows transition to the roadways, starting with priority routes.

• Crews focus on opening curb lines from snow and slush, so melting snow can enter the storm system rather than pooling on the roadway surface.
• Vactor trucks focus on cleaning catch basins on hills where sand has been applied during a snow and ice event.
• Crews have designated routes to observe drainage conditions and monitor flood risk while staging vactor trucks.

Home and business owners are responsible to clear away snow from all walkways adjoining their property. The City does not have the manpower to remove snow from any sidewalks.

Abandoned Vehicles will be Removed

Abandoned/illegally parked vehicles will be towed immediately when the vehicle is blocking the regularly traveled portion of the roadway. Make sure your vehicle is equipped for travel during snowy/icy conditions before venturing out.  Report abandoned vehicles by calling 253-852-2121.

Other Tips

• If your car is covered in snow, clear it off before leaving your home.
• Do not leave your stranded vehicle in the roadway – get it towed out of the path of traffic.  Leaving vehicles endangers both other commuters and City personnel responding to help clear the roadways and prevents us from being able to plow/treat a roadway.
• Do not go around “Road Closed” signage. Failure to Obey Traffic Control Devices (RCW 46.61.050) carries a penalty of $139 and the police department will ticket you.
• Do not pass snow response vehicles, they are also susceptible to weather hazards and sliding so please be patient and give them plenty of room.
• Do not shovel snow into the street, please pile it safely on your property and away from the road and sidewalk.
• Help each other: Clear snow and slush from catch basin grates and, if possible, clear a one-foot swath along gutter lines, so the melting water has room to flow to the catch basins.
• After weather events – clean off the underside of your vehicle since chemicals can be corrosive.
• Keep an eye out: Report potholes and water over roadway sightings on the KentWorks app, by calling 253-856-5600 or by emailing PWOps@KentWA.gov. After hours reports can be made by calling 253-856-5600 and selecting option 1 to reach dispatch.
• Please continue to be patient with us as we will be blocking lanes of traffic and working in the roadways. Help keep our crews safe by driving slowly and carefully around them; a friendly wave is always appreciated!
• Park your vehicle in your driveway or another suitable location prior to a predicted weather event.

Additional Resources

• Public Works Operations: 253-856-5600
• Cold Weather Shelters: 253-856-5070
• Kent School District Closures and Delays
• Kent Parks Inclement Weather Policy
• Alert King County
• King County Traffic Alerts
• King County My Commute
• King County Take Winter By Storm
• WSDOT Traffic Alerts
• WA State Traffic & Cameras
• Winter Weather Ready
• American Red Cross Preparing for Emergencies
• CDC Winter Weather Disasters
• ICC Winter Safety Resources