1. It Never Snows in Seattle … and Definitely NOT in February!
How the UW planned for, responded to & recovered from the “historic” February 2019 snow event
A presentation to the U-wide H&S Committee
March 13, 2019
Steven Charvat, UWEM Director
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities

2. Today’s Quick Dog-n-Pony Show…..
Overview of the February storm (stats & timelines)
Pre-event Planning & Preparation Actions
Storm Response Actions
Post-Storm Recovery
What Did we Learn?
Q&A
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities

3. So, how Much Snow DID we Get this Winter?
But all this fell in just 10 days!

4. Why was this event “different” from the past?
Unusual Weather Patterns (normal winter = 7” in PS lowlands)
Remember, the predicted “La Nina” Winter??
The Frasier River outflow … Old Man Winter’s secret weapon
The unique complexities of forecasting “micro-climates” in the Pacific Northwest
Compounding factor of multiple, back-to-back-to-back storms, with no warming in between (or ICE!)
Changes in public expectations and demands
Social media
Commuting patterns
Just-in-time inventory

5. Day-by-Day Synopsis (Seattle campus only)
Monday, February 4th Suspends Operations due to increased snow accumulation. Snow accumulation 2.7 inches.
Tuesday, February 5th Suspends Operations due to continued cold & icy conditions.
Wednesday, February 6th Normal Operations resume at UW Seattle.
Friday, February 8th Suspends Operations at 12:30pm and all-day Saturday due to increasing snow accumulations. Additional snow accumulation 6.4 inches. Governor Jay Inslee declares State of Emergency.
Monday, February 11th Suspends Operations. Additional snow accumulations since Friday 2/ inches
Tuesday, February 12th Suspends Operations again
Wednesday, February 13th Delayed-start of operations until 9:30am
Thursday, February 14th UW Seattle resume normal operations (UW-B 2 more days closed)

6. Just be Glad we Didn’t Repeat 1968-69!

7. Pre-Event Preparedness Activities & Actions
Finalized the Seattle campus’ 1st Inclement Weather Plan
Trained Leadership on SOPs
Established a Weather Status Assessment Group (WSAG)
Annual HR winter prep letter
Some departments and units reviewed snow plans with staff & pre-positioned assets, modified staff schedules, etc…
EOC updated contact lists & placed responders on “stand- by” mode, if needed

8. Switching to Response Mode
Essential Service Staff – Our hero's
UW never “closes” !
Regular, frequent UW Alerts, Advisories and messaging
All critical functions* performed with minimal disruption
EOC and URCs activated
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities
Photo courtesy of UW Facilities

9. Now the part nobody talks about: Recovery
Re-opening still remains a challenge
Restocking (people, supplies, equipment)
How much did this cost?
How did the academy adjust to 7-10 days of disruption?
Did we learn anything?... … or are we making any changes?

10. Documenting our Success & Challenges
Hot washes
Informal team meetings & discussions
After-Action
Reviews (AARs)
Happening at all levels
Develop actions plans for future Improvement
Take time to recognize the good

11. We’ve had the appetizer…. Are you ready for the Main Course !?