Weather updates and city emergency information can be found at the end of this entry.
Bainbridge islanders got a taste of winter Thursday, with snowfall and icy conditions causing numerous traffic accidents and forcing several road closures.
Forecasters say they can expect a full dish of weather very soon, likely to be served up Saturday night.
The National Weather Service has issued a storm watch in western Washington for Saturday afternoon through Sunday night.
According to NWS, strong winds from the east could deposit the greatest amount of snow over the Kitsap Peninsula and Hood Canal.
Snow accumulation is expected to top six inches and winds could gust to more than 20 mph.
City Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Ed Call said the predicted storm will be the third winter weather event to hit the island so far.
“This is supposed to be the worst of the three, measurably,” Call said.
Along with the regular police, fire and Public Works crews on alert, the city is preparing for worsening road conditions and possible power outages with an information campaign.
This week the city distributed fliers containing emergency preparedness tips and contact information for local agencies to kiosks around the island, and on its website.
In the event of a widespread power outage, the city will deliver bulletins with updated information to those sites. (See accompanying box for locations.)
Kitsap County has opened a storm shelter at the fairgrounds in Bremerton, and Kitsap Transit will be running heated shuttle busses to that location. On Bainbridge, the city is looking for large buildings with generators and heaters to serve as shelter locations, if needed. A location had not been announced at press time.
Call said residents should store food in anticipation of power loss and road closures, and keep a battery-powered radio to tune into news stations for updates.
On Thursday, snow mixed with below-freezing temperatures created chaos on Bainbridge roads.
Public Works closed portions of seven roads, while police closed two others.
Parts Bucklin Hill Road, Koura Road and Battle Point Drive remained closed Friday, and were expected to remain closed through the weekend storm event.
Police responded to dozens of reports of vehicles in ditches and fender-benders throughout the day.
“Our department got to the point where if there wasn’t reportable damage we weren’t taking a report,” police Lt. Sue Shultz said.
Bainbridge Fire Department received 15 calls, according to fire department Operations Chief Luke Carpenter.
Despite a steady stream of incidents, neither department reported injuries.
“That was the neat thing,” Carpenter said. “Everyone just slid quietly into the ditch, got out and walked away. So we didn’t have any injury accidents.”
Among those taking a sliding trip off the road was Linda Camarot, whose Range Rover lost traction on Eagle Harbor Drive Thursday morning.
Camarot, who has experience driving in Alaska weather, said she had the SUV in four-wheel-drive and was driving slowly downhill when its wheels started to slip on the icy surface.
“We came slowly around the corner and gravity took over,” said Camarot, who had three children in the car. “I said to the kids ‘were going in.’”
The Range Rover spun 180 degrees and flipped onto its passenger side in a ditch, with its nose pointing uphill.
After carefully unbuckling their seatbelts as they hung sideways, Camarot and her passengers clambered out through the driver’s side doors.
No one was hurt, and even the Range Rover appeared to have not been seriously damaged.
“It was really surreal,” Camarot said of the experience.
Elsewhere six cars were snarled in a single accident on Koura Road early in the day, while at another accident scene a parked police car was hit by a sliding vehicle.
On Friday, some cars could still be found along the sides of roadways where they had been abandoned by their drivers.
Lt. Shultz said some accident scenes were made more hazardous by bystanders.
On one call, Shultz said she encountered an entire family putting itself in harm’s way by trying to push a car away from a telephone pole.
“It’s a dangerous thing to do,” Shultz said. “If you spin out in a certain area, there’s a high likelihood that the next car that comes along will also go off the roadway.”
As the next weather system bears down on Bainbridge, police are advising residents to drive as little as possible.
“If you don’t have to get out of your house, then don’t,” Shultz said. “Stay at home and ride out the snow.”
Weather notes
– Bainbridge Disposal reported service interruptions Friday. Weather has forced closure of the Vincent Road transfer center and the Olympic View Landfill. Bainbridge Disposal requests customers to leave their disposal cans curbside. Service will resume when conditions permit. For updates see www.bainbridgedisposal.com.
– The city has announced a brief special City Council scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday to approve accounts payable and payroll vouchers. Agenda can be viewed here.
Be prepared
The city has distributed fliers with emergency preparedness information to these island locations:
Safeway, Ace Hardware, Helpline House, the Bainbridge Island Commons/Senior Center, Walt’s Lynwood Market, American Legion Hall, Island Center Hall, Bainbridge Athletic Club – Meadowmeer, Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, Port Madison Lutheran Church, and Seabold United Methodist Church.
In the event of a widespread power outage, bulletins with updated emergency information would be posted at the same sites. City-specific emergency updates would be broadcast on AM radio stations 710 KIRO and KOMO 1000. The city would also open its emergency center, which can be reached at 842-7633.
More emergency preparedness information and updates can be found at the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management Web site, www.kitsapdem.org.
