With an increase of wet weather expected to stick around in Seattle, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) workers are gearing up to respond to heavy rain in the coming months. Storm season is coming, and preparations are key to keeping people and property safe. SPU has a handful of employees closely monitoring the weather forecast, so they can properly utilize the 150-field staff they have to respond to emergencies. They also have 15 vactor trucks ready to roll at a moment’s notice to remove debris and leaves from storm drains, which could cause flash flooding. “Overflow into our roads, making them unpassable and into our parks and other areas where we like to recreate so we like to get those leaves taken care of out of the storm drain,” said Ellen Stewart, the SPU Interim Deputy Director for Drainage & Wastewater. Despite the resources, it's a big task, Seattle has more than 33,000 storm drains throughout the city. So, officials said it's crucial community members do their part, by clearing storm drains near their homes, with rakes, gloves and other tools. "Our crews can't be everywhere, we like to concentrate them on keeping our critical routes open and our arterials and areas where we've seen flooding before,” said Stewart. “So, it's really great when we can have neighbors take care of the drains in front of their own homes." READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/weather/seattle-urban-flooding-increased-rain/281-51d80d92-2e07-4302-acb7-9678616a7ce9