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The recent snow didn’t cause any power outages for us in NRV, but lots of other people lost power. And we’re certainly not immune. The following info comes from Public Heath-Seattle & King County.

Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning can kill you. Carbon monoxide gas comes from burning fuels such as gasoline, propane, oil, kerosene, natural gas, coal or wood.

Prevent poisoning from carbon monoxide:

• Only use a generator outdoors and far from open windows and vents
• Never use a generator or portable propane heater indoors, in garages or carports
• Never cook or heat inside on a charcoal or gas grill.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can happen suddenly and without warning. Physical symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include splitting headache, nausea and vomiting, and lethargy and fatigue.

If you believe you could be experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Call for medical help from a neighbor’s home. The Fire Department will tell you when it is safe to re-enter the home.

For a full list of carbon monoxide prevention tips and other safety and disaster information in English and other languages, visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/disaster.

Staying warm indoors safely
If you have a power outage, use safe ways to stay warm:

• Find places where you can go to get warm, such as the home of friends and family whose homes have power. Many cities have opened centers where people can go during the day to stay warm. Center locations can be found at www.kingcounty.gov/safety/prepare
• Wear several layers of light weight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Wear hats, mittens, and blankets indoors.
• Close curtains and cover windows and doors with blankets. Everyone should try to stay together in one room, with the door closed, to keep in body heat.

Stay safe

• Check on elderly friends, family, and neighbors to make sure they are safe.
• Watch your footing on surfaces that may be icy and slick, and wear shoes that provide traction.
• Be careful not to overexert yourself when shoveling snow, especially if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, as the cold weather puts extra strain on your heart.
• Do not sled on streets or on slopes near streets, ponds, or streams.
• Avoid driving if you can. If you must drive, allow safe stopping times and distances.

Help others

• Warn others about carbon monoxide poisoning. Share the information with neighbors, friends, family and community groups.
• Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially if they are elderly or if you think their power might be out.
• If you know someone who has lost electricity, invite them to your home to stay warm.

Food safety
If power goes out where you live, keep food safe:

• Keep the doors closed on your refrigerators and freezers as much as possible. This keeps the cold air inside. A full freezer can stay at freezing temperatures about two days; a half-full freezer about 1 day.
• If you think the power will be out for several days, try to find some ice to pack inside your refrigerator. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods.
• Refrigerated foods should be safe as long as the power is out no more than a few hours and the refrigerator/freezer doors have been kept closed. Throw away foods that spoil easily (such as meat and fish) if they warm up above 41º F.
• Frozen foods that remain frozen are OK to eat. If potentially hazardous foods are thawed (such as meat and fish), but are still cold or have ice crystals on them, use them as soon as possible. If potentially hazardous foods are thawed and are warmer than 41º F, throw them away.

The next Rainier Vista Traffic Safety meeting will be held this coming Monday, January 9th from 6:45pm to 7:45pm at Neighborhood House Paul Allen Room. Subjects on the agenda include:

• Phase III update
• Update from January SE Seattle Crime Prevention Council Meeting
• Discuss a joint Traffic Safety Committee with RV Phase II & III, Tamarack Place & RV Northeast
• Update RV Youth Focus Group, a joint project with RV Traffic Safety and Multicultural Committee (last discussion held on November 21)
• Plan/discuss “Safety Meeting” on 2/6

The eighth annual National Preparedness Month kicked off September 1^st. This year’s slogan is: “A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.” The campaign’s goal is to move beyond education and encourage people to take the necessary steps to ensure that their homes, workplaces and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of all kinds.

The Seattle Police Department’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is joining with Target to make that step easier for families in Seattle. Target has generously donated $10,000 to help families build emergency kits. Each participating family will receive a $100 gift card that they can use to build their own emergency kits. Seattle Police Department will be on hand to help people identify basic items for an emergency kit, as well as help them customize their kit to meet their specific needs. Participants will need to be at the West Seattle Target on September 29, 2011 at 9:00 AM. They will be given a map of the store with locations where items for emergency kits can be found highlighted and the gift card to make their purchases.

Families with children are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. If you are interested in participating in this one of a kind event please email the Seattle Office of Emergency Management at snap@seattle.gov or call us at 233-5076.

The next Traffic & Safety Committee Meeting will be held Monday, June 6 from 6:30 to 7:45pm at the Neighborhood House’s downstairs meeting room.

Seattle Neighborhood Group offers The Club® vehicle anti-theft device to Seattle residents at reduced cost. It’s easy to use, and is a proven deterrent against auto theft.

They are offering The Club® in two sizes, one for automobiles and another for trucks and SUVs. Regular Clubs are $20.00, and SUV Clubs are $25.00 if you order by mail using this form. Or order from their website and receive a $2 discount! Final price includes S&H and 9.5% Washington State Sales Tax.

The Seattle City Council invites you to a discussion of the science of policing with a special focus on the concentration of crime in “hot spots” and the innovative approaches police and others can take to reduce it. Research shows that over a 14-year period fully 50% of reported crime in Seattle was committed on just 4.5% of our street segments or blocks. What do these facts mean for policing? What is the role of the community to reduce crime? What prevention strategies are most effective? How can city governments and community partners collaborate to make neighborhoods safer by reducing crime?

This will be a presentation to the Seattle City Council, scheduled to begin at 9:30am on Monday, May 2nd, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (600 4th Ave). It will be followed by a public conversation at 10:30am, also at City Hall, in the Bertha Knight Landes Room.

These sessions will provide vital information about how we can apply the power of science to urban policing and be more just and effective by focusing on where crime occurs more than on individual offenders and by integrating and better coordinating a range of public and community resources that responds to the places where crime occurs. The research also suggests that police resources can and should be applied more judiciously and that police-community relations can be strengthened by partnering police with a host of public agencies and community organizations in the effort.

To RSVP or to ask questions, please contact Betsy Graef at betsy.graef@seattle.gov or 206-684-5341.

For more information on this topic, please see:

• “Police Science: Toward a New Paradigm,” by Weisburd and Neyroud
• “The Importance of Place in Policing,” by Weisburd, Telep and Braga
• Geography and Public Safety Bulletin, March 2011
• “Addressing Crime and Disorder in Seattle’s ‘Hot Spots’: What Works?” Seattle City Auditor Report
• “Controlling Drug and Disorder Problems: Oakland’s Beat Health Program,” by Mazerolle and Roehl

On behalf of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee III (CTAC III), you are invited to attend a roundtable discussion about improving transportation in Seattle.

CTAC III was established in January 2011 to advise the City Council and the Mayor on transportation priorities and funding alternatives. We are tasked with:

• Developing a project list and spending plan for revenues generated by the new $20 vehicle license fee imposed by the Seattle Transportation Benefit District.
• Reviewing the City’s transportation needs and funding options and evaluating the potential for a ballot measure asking Seattle voters to fund additional transportation investments.

As we develop recommendations, we want to hear from a wide range of stakeholders. We are hosting six roundtables to gather input on transportation values and priorities and to answer questions about the CTAC III process. The roundtables are open to the public and can be easily accessed by transit. Each one focuses on a specific area of interest.

Business/Freight
April 25, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 Fifth Avenue, 40th Floor, Conference Room 4050/60

Social Justice - South
April 27, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Douglass Truth Library, 2300 E. Yesler Way

Neighborhood Interests
April 28, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 Fifth Avenue, 40th Floor, Conference Room 4050/60

Social Justice – North
May 10, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Northgate Library, 10548 Fifth Ave. N.E.

Environmental
May 11, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 Fifth Avenue, 16th Floor, Conference Room 1600

Public Health/Disabilities
May 12, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue, Bertha Knight Landes Room

Space is limited, so please RSVP by April 20 to llabissoniere@prrbiz.com or by calling (206) 462-462-6398 and indicate which roundtables(s) you plan to attend. Also, let us know if you need translation or interpretation services.

For questions about CTAC III or other opportunities to provide input, contact Dawn Schellenberg at Dawn.Schellenberg@Seattle.gov or (206) 684-5189. More information is available at: www.seattle.gov/transportation/ctac.htm.

The McGinn administration has partnered with the Evans School to facilitate the survey in direct response to the recent challenges with the relationship between neighborhoods and the Seattle police. Here’s your chance to be heard, follow the link below to tell the mayor your public safety concerns.

http://www.seattle.gov/publicsafetysurvey/

The next NRV Traffic & Safety Committee meeting will be on Monday, April 4th, from 6:45pm to 7:45pm at the Neighborhood House. Agenda items include updates on neighborhood safety, updates on the construction across MLK, and a report from the South Precinct.

The next NRV Traffic & Safety Committee Meeting will be Monday, December 6 at 6:45pm at the Neighborhood House. The current agenda includes an update on traffic calming, the “current status of drug activity”, updates on the Phase 2 construction across MLK, and an update on the South Precinct Meeting.

Also, this committee is looking for interested new members, especially from the north end of NRV. Come on out and be involved!