City Crews Continue With Tree and Limb Removal

Marlene Feist, 509.625.6505

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 12:09 p.m.

Updated September 22, 2020

City of Spokane crews are continuing to clear streets of downed trees and limbs following the storm overnight. Work is focused now on clearing blocked streets in the heavily hit areas on the South Hill. Meanwhile, the City is working with its partners that provide services to those experiencing homelessness to provide additional support.

“Our teams are out improving mobility for our community, and we are working together with our community partners to serve our vulnerable citizens,” says Mayor David Condon. “We have now seen two storms that have brought us shots of winter weather much earlier than usual, and we are responding.”

More than 150 locations of trees or limbs in the street have been reported to the City so far; crews anticipate that tree cleanup efforts will continue through the week and possibly into the weekend. Please call 3-1-1 to report trees blocking roadways.

Street, Water, Wastewater and Urban Forestry crews are working jointly on the tree response; they are prioritizing opening blocked arterials and residential streets and then will move to debris removal from the streets. City crews are working with Avista crews to deal with trees tangled in electric lines. Park Operations crews are removing hazards and clearing right-of-ways on park properties.

Sidewalks also are blocked by fallen trees and limbs. Residents are asked to clear away debris from sidewalks. City crews will assist with those efforts as they remove debris from the streets.

Snow and unseasonably cold weather also has impacted those experiencing homelessness. The Hope House has added daytime hours for women today, and the House of Charity will provide additional spaces for those needing shelter overnight tonight when temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.  

The community can refer to the Resource Pocket Guide for additional information on available facilities and services for those experiencing homelessness.

Power to traffic signals at about a half dozen intersections remains out. Motorists should treat those intersections as a four-way stop.

Some Parks & Recreation activities and facilities have been impacted by the storm.

  • Corbin Art Center. All classes at Corbin Art Center are canceled today due to power outage and downed trees.
  • Community Center Closures. The Southside Senior and Community Center and the Southwest Spokane Community Center are closed today.
  • Volleyball. Adult volleyball games (Women's 4's upper division at Garry Middle School and Women's 4's lower division at Glover Middle School) are canceled this evening.
  • Golf. All golf courses are closed today, and will re-assess tomorrow.
  • Softball. Softball at Dwight Merkel is still on, however, the Franklin game may be impacted and participants notified.

The City has announced that it will provide free disposal of trees and tree limbs that came down during the storm. The service is available at the Waste to Energy Facility, 2900 S. Geiger Blvd., through Saturday, Oct. 19. Free disposal is available for City of Spokane residents only, not commercial landscaping and yard care businesses.

Tree debris from the storm also can be placed in green yard waste carts for pickup on customers’ normal garbage collection days.  Branches must be smaller than 3 inches in diameter and fit within the cart. Residents who need to clear tree debris from private property are encouraged to refer to the list of licensed arborists at spokanecity.org.