Pipes are freezing, the power is going out and cars are sliding all over roadways in what feels like the 100th storm to many weather weary North Kitsap residents.
Some have hunkered down in front of their heaters and fireplaces, while others feel perfectly fine venturing out in what is no longer being described as a winter wonderland.
“With the weather being what it is now, we’re just happy as long as we don’t lose power,” said Indianola Beach Improvement Committee president Bo Blakey. “The roads are pretty dry out here, but I know some people are just staying home until it passes.”
Many residents are making their way to work anyway, moving slowly along slick roads. Some don’t have to travel too far, like Kiwanis president Debbie Anderson who works at the Kingston American Marine Bank, and lives right up the road. She said most of her fellow workers live nearby and feel more than comfortable traveling through frozen conditions.
“We seem to have dodged most of the bad weather,” said Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman. “We have people out checking on everybody. We’ve had some very diverse weather, and the power outage had a heavy impact on our area. We’re finding out that we’re doing a lot of on the job training for emergency situations.”
“It seems like we’ve had so much of this crazy weather,” Anderson said. “I love sunny, cold days though, so I’ve been OK with the last couple of days.”
Kitsap County Public Works has released a list of tips for safe driving in icy weather. They are:
• Don’t drive unless it’s
absolutely necessary, stay
home if at all possible.
• Don’t talk on a cell phone
while driving on potentially
icy roads.
• Drive with headlights on
for extra visibility.
• Stay at slow speeds and
leave extra room between cars.
• Leave plenty of room
behind maintenance vehicles
like sanders and snowplows,
at least 15 car lengths
or 200 feet.
• Drive carefully on bridges,
even when roads seem dry.
• Look further ahead in traffic
for potential problems.
• Don’t cut in front of trucks,
they take longer to stop than
cars.
• Don’t use cruise control
or overdrive in icy weather.
• Don’t get overconfident
with four-wheel drive, it doesn’t
help the car stop.
• Don’t pump anti-lock brakes,
the recommended way to stop
is to “stomp and steer.”
