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Crews prepare city for heavy rain, gusty winds

SEATTLE — As rain and wind continues to hit the region, crews are working to prevent problems that come with the weather.

About two and a half inches of rain is expected, and Seattle streets could see standing water.

Washington State Department of Transportation cameras captured footage Saturday afternoon as heavy rain was visible on roadways.

The heavy rain can cause problems for not only drivers, but people at home.

Crews with Seattle Public Utilities worked to clean fallen leaves out of the storm drain to help prevent street flooding.

The City of Seattle is asking people to help by clearing storm drains near their homes because crews will not be able to take care of every drain.

With strong winds, trees are vulnerable to falling onto power lines and causing possible power outages, which is an issue.

Seattle City Light has been helping by trimming back trees before the storm season approaches.

“We trim about 625 miles a year of line corridor out of 3,000 miles total. So it’s a pretty significant investment, but it pays. It leads to fewer downed trees and branches. It’s a true investment,” said Roberto Bonaccorso of Seattle City Light.

Seattle residents are not the only ones get getting hit by the strong rain and wind.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News spoke with Daniela Falcoln, who was feeling the wind on her drive from Anacortes to Mount Vernon.

“Cold, cold. Very, very cold and windy. I just drove here from Anacortes, and I thought the wind was going to blow me off the Twin Bridges,” said Falcon.

In contrast, Sam Bull told KIRO 7 that windstorms are good for business.

“They are great for me if a tree falls on somebody’s service wires and breaks their service. But it’s not so good for the people who live inside,” said Bull.