Fires, Floods, Snow extremes
Breaking news about Wild Land Fires & Floods and snow storms in the Boulder, Colorado area.
7,000 B.C. homes are without heating gas
Dec 6th
To supplement our Colorado crews working to restore natural gas service to customers in Boulder County affected by this morning’s outage, we have called in additional Xcel Energy crews from around the state and from Minnesota and Wisconsin. We have also contacted utilities in California and New Mexico plus private companies too. With temperatures hovering in the single digits, we want to restart service as quickly and safely as possible. Approximately 7,000 homes are without service. We estimate 90 percent of customers will have service by noon tomorrow. Crews will work around-the-clock to restore service to customers.
We will call customers in advance to alert them that crews will be in their neighborhoods to relight pilots for natural gas appliances. It is important that we can reach you with this information. If you have not given us your cell phone number in the past, please call us at 1-800-895-4999 to provide your cell phone number or another alternate phone number.
To help our crews restore your service tonight, please turn on an outside light if you will be available to let them into your home. A person who is at least 18 years old must be at home to allow our crews access to your home. If not, we will need to return later. Please do not attempt to re-light natural gas appliances yourself. Not only can your appliances or equipment be damaged by improper re-lights but you can place yourself and your family in danger.
Our employees will check your appliances and re-light them for you free of charge. The American Red Cross opened a warming shelter for people affected by the natural gas outage. The center is located at Douglass Elementary School, 840 75th St. near 75th Street and Baseline Road.
Bad weather a-comin’ City gets ready
Dec 3rd
Like other Front Range communities, the city does not typically plow residential streets since most snow melts within a day or two and residential plowing would significantly increase costs, impacting other high-priority services. During most snowstorms, one “floater” snow plow responds to requests from the community and public safety personnel. When snowfall exceeds 12 inches, the city strategically services known problem areas on some residential streets. To request plowing on a specific residential street, make a “Snow Plow Request” online via www.inquireboulder.com or call Snow Dispatch at 303-413-7109.
Residential Street Plowing Pilot Program
In response to community feedback, the City of Boulder is also implementing a residential street plowing pilot program between Dec. 1, 2013, and March 1, 2014. Two snow plows will be sent to 10 pre-identified residential areas when both of the following criteria are met:
- eight inches or more of snow is predicted or actually accumulates (not including snowpack already on the road surface); and
- daytime temperatures are predicted to remain below freezing for the 72 hours after the snowstorm.
If both criteria are met and the pilot program is activated, the city will post a notification on the Snow and Ice Removal Web page. View the “Residential Street Plowing Pilot Program Map” atbouldercolorado.gov/links/fetch/18735 to see the specific neighborhood streets where snow plows may be deployed as part of the pilot program.
Safety Tips
To make winter travel safer:
- give snow plows and spreader trucks plenty of room to operate;
- allow for more stopping distance on icy or snowy roads;
- avoid making last-minute decisions;
- teach your children to be extra careful around traffic; and
- use extra caution as you walk and bike in icy conditions.
Do not pass snow plows or spreader trucks, which are both wider than one traffic lane. This will help you avoid potential accidents, windshield damage and limited visibility caused by flying snow and ice.
Sidewalk Snow and Ice Removal
Property owners, landlords and tenants must remove snow and ice from their sidewalks within 24 hours after snow stops falling. Clearing sidewalks in a timely manner makes travel safer for all pedestrians. Failure to remove snow from sidewalks before the 24-hour deadline may result in fines and/or abatement, which involves paying for a private snow removal contractor to clear the sidewalks. If the city incurs costs related to abatement, these will be passed on to the property owner.
Visit bouldercolorado.gov/links/fetch/9834 to view official snowfall reports from the National Weather Service. To report sidewalk violations, make a service request for “Sidewalk Snow & Ice Removal” online viawww.inquireboulder.com or call Code Enforcement at 303-441-3333.
Seniors and disabled residents who are physically unable to remove snow from their sidewalks may receive volunteer assistance through the Boulder County CareConnect Ice Busters program. Visit www.careconnectbc.org or call 303-443-1933 ext. 413 to volunteer or ext. 416 to request assistance.
For more detailed information about the city’s snow and ice removal operations, visitwww.bouldercolorado.gov/public-works and select the “Snow and Ice Removal” link.
— CITY —
Campus Alerts system gets a test Friday
Dec 3rd
“As we saw during the recent floods, emergencies can happen quickly and without warning,” said Stuart Pike, CU-Boulder emergency management director. “The Campus Alerts system is our most effective means of communicating key safety messages to the campus community. It’s important for students, faculty and staff to be aware of this critical messaging platform.”
If the emergency involves a threat to personal safety or a campus closure, a campus alert will be sent using one or all of the communication methods available. Text messaging is the backbone of the system as it reaches the most individuals in the least amount of time.
More than 90 percent of CU-Boulder students, faculty and staff are registered for the Campus Alerts system and over 90 percent of those have at least one mobile device registered, according to Pike.
During an emergency that affects the campus, critical updates, additional details, and any necessary instructions regarding the nature of the emergency will be posted at http://alerts.colorado.edu, university social media sites, and on the campus Emergency Information Line at 303-492-4636 (303-492-INFO).
Active CU-Boulder student email addresses (@colorado.edu) are automatically registered and the university encourages students to add mobile phone numbers in order to receive text notifications as well. Faculty, staff, or affiliates of the CU-Boulder community with an @colorado.edu (or cufund.org, or cu.edu) e-mail address are encouraged to register on a voluntary basis. Additional information is available at http://alerts.colorado.edu.
Details on the decision process for determining a closure, how administrative leave should be handled for essential personnel and other employees, and answers to questions that frequently arise are covered in “Campus Closing Procedures During Emergencies” located at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/campus-closing-procedures-during-emergencies.
Any user who expected to receive an alert and didn’t, or who needs help signing up for the system, should call the IT Service Center at 303-735-HELP or email help@colorado.edu.