As the cold snap continues to grip the Seattle area, several schools across the Puget Sound region have been forced to shut their doors or delay openings due to weather-related issues like burst pipes and icy conditions. Among the impacted institutions, Lake Washington School District announced closures for Dickinson Elementary, Explorer Community School, Twain Elementary, and Wilder Elementary, according to the Seattle Times.
Similarly, schools in other districts including Seattle, Northshore, Issaquah, Edmonds, Shoreline and Lake Stevens saw closures as temperatures struggled to rise after a particularly frigid weekend. Madison Middle School, for instance, switched to remote learning with a delayed start as a precaution against the inclement weather. Despite expected increases in temperature, the National Weather Service has warned of potential freezing rain later on, which could worsen road conditions on major interstates such as 5, 90 and 405, as well as highways 101 and 18, detailed in a report by an online news source.
Compounding the issues for locals, Seattle University faced its own battle with the cold as a frozen water pipe burst in one of their dormitories. The incident occurred in the Hopkins House, where nine students were forced to evacuate their rooms amidst flooding. Senior Johnny Smith recalled the event to KOMO News, stating "It was pretty high. I’ve never seen anything like it before." SU spokesperson Lincoln Vander Veen clarified that contrary to initial reports, sewage did not mix into the flooding caused by the burst sprinkler system pipe.
A surge in emergency calls accompanied the plunging temperatures, with Seattle fire crews responding to over 175 reports of pipe bursts from Friday to Monday. The aftermath at Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood included damaged businesses, like the Angry Beaver Canadian bar, with staff worried about the potential for a protracted closure. Similarly, the dewatering and repair process at Dickinson and Wilder Elementary Schools are underway said a statement obtained by KOMO News. At Seattle University, displaced students face uncertainty about their return to normalcy. SU Freshman Jaiden Lucia voiced the common worry among students: "Honestly, the entire common space is kind of deteriorated and covered in sewage water so I'm not really sure where I'm going to be cooking my next meals, you know?"
