Also in this issue: MLK Day service opportunities, Mayor's Youth Climate Council is now accepting applications

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Almost one year ago, our region experienced the snowiest winter on record in Seattle in almost 50 years. And this week, for the second year in a row, our region experienced prolonged freezing temperatures and unpredictable weather that put some of our most vulnerable residents at risk.

Thankfully, Seattle didnt get nearly as much snow as last year. Nevertheless, our city and our communities came together to ensure that everyone could stay warm and get around Seattle safely.

At the City, we were prepared. We urged residents to stay informed, to check on their neighbors and be prepared for anything. We worked with Rooted in Rights to help get the word out [ [link removed] ] about businesses and residents responsibility to clear sidewalks and curb ramps. We encouraged people to stay off the roads, to be patient, and above all to stay safe and warm.

Mayor Durkan sits at the head of a table in the Emergency Operations Center, surrounded by her Cabinet and emergency executives

We had our first responders from the Seattle Fire Department and Seattle Police Department, and crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle City Light, and Seattle Public Utilities working 24/7 since Sunday afternoon to ensure that our roads were clear, to open emergency winter weather shelters, and to respond quickly to outages. I am so proud of them for all they did to keep Seattle safe and minimize service disruptions.

A snow plow scoops up snow on a wide street covered in slush. [ [link removed] ]

We also opened emergency cold-weather shelters at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, Seattle Municipal Tower, City Hall, the King County Administration Building, and Bitter Lake Community Center. The City created space for more than 500 people to come inside where it was warm, and where community could come together to provide company, warm clothes, safety, and hot meals.

Thanks to the dedicated civil servants at the City of Seattle, no City services experienced extended disruption over the past week. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all City of Seattle employees that we were able to keep our parks, community centers, libraries, and other community spaces open for everyone to use.

And of course, thanks to everyone who pitched in to make sure that your neighborhoods were safe for our most vulnerable neighbors by clearing sidewalks and curb ramps of ice and snow.

As always, please continue to write me [email protected], reach out viaTwitter [ [link removed] ]andFacebook [ [link removed] ], and stay up-to-date on the work were doing for the people of Seattle onmyblog. [ [link removed] ]

Sincerely,

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan's SignatureSpacer
Cities of Seattle, Green Bay Give Back to Their Communities on MLK Day as Result of Win-Win Wager

Thanks to Mayor Durkans win-win wager with the Mayor of Green Bay [ [link removed] ], Mayors Office staff will be decked out in green and yellow as they honor Dr. Martin Luther King Day this Monday. This year, the Seattle Mayors Office will join City Year at Concord International Elementary School for a day of service.

Volunteers from the City of Green Bay pose for a group photo behind baskets of fresh vegetables wearing green and gold

The City of Green Bay Government shared photos of their staff volunteering at a local food pantry [ [link removed] ], proving that our communities are the real winners of last weekends wager!

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Storm Legend Sue Bird Helps WNBA Players Tentatively Reach Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement

Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird helped the WNBA reach a tentative collective bargaining agreement that, if approved, would be an historic deal with the potential to change the landscape of womens professional sports. The eight-year deal would not only significantly raise the annual base pay of the leagues players, but it would also creates key benefits for women including paid maternity leave and benefits for players with children.

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Mayor Durkan is Seeking Passionate and Committed Youth for Mayors Youth Climate Council
Mayor Durkan sits on a panel named "Mayors and Youth Climate Activists" at last year's C40 Climate Summit

Mayor Durkan is creating an opportunity for young leaders to continue building their own capacity as advocates, shape new ideas for policies and programs to stem the climate crisis and offer feedback on existing City policies and programs. Applications to be part of the Mayors Youth Climate Council are now open. Youth who are passionate about working on climate change and climate justice are strongly encouraged to apply for the Mayors Youth Climate Council.*Deadline to apply is Thursday, January 30, a**t **4 p.m.*

More information about the requirements and expectations are detailed inthe application form. [ [link removed] ]

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Happening in Seattle This Weekend
A photo of a lunar new year celebration featuring red and yellow lion dancers

*Tt in Seattle* [ [link removed] ]*: *Saturday, Jan 18 Sunday, Jan 19

Tt in Seattle is a volunteer community organization that produces a two day festival close to the Lunar New Year. Since 1996, Tt in Seattle has celebrated the culture of Vietnamese and Vietnamese-Americans in the Pacific Northwest through art, food, music, and traditions.

*Snow Day SLU @ Denny Park:* [ [link removed] ] Saturday, Jan 18 - Sunday, Jan 19; 4:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.

*2020 Seattle MLK Day March and Celebration* [ [link removed] ]*: *Monday, Jan 20; 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.

*King Day @ Northwest African American Museum:* [ [link removed] ] Monday, Jan 20; 11:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

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Weekend Read: KUOW: Get the message out: How one interpreter navigated Seattle when bad weather struck.
Screenshot of KUOW story featuring a photo of Fire Chief Harold Scoggins and Andy Gault

This weekend, we encourage you to read this interview in KUOW with Andy Gault, a freelance sign-language interpreter who helped City officials deliver the news about inclement weather at one of this weeks winter weather safety briefings despite encountering challenges of his own [ [link removed] ]:

"Andy Gault had a rough commute this week."

"The freelance interpreter got a call that a sign-language interpreter was needed for Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkans press conference Tuesday morning. The mayor's office needed to brief the public on the city's response to an expected blast of cold, snowy weather."

"But Gault ran literally into layers of Seattle's transportation disruptions. Such disruptions included the icy weather and transit construction projects."

Read more [ [link removed] ]





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*Phone: 206-684-4000*

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