South Sound gets ready for next round of heavy snow

ORTING, Wash. -- It was a spur of the moment idea, jumping into action to look out for those in Orting who’d lost power after Friday’s snow storm. Members of the community, including the mayor served hot soup to those residents who’d lost power and needed to stay warm.

“Everybody in the community was very thankful, and it was wonderful to be able to connect with them, especially when we don’t know when we’ll be able to get their power back on,” said Joshua Penner, Orting's Mayor.

Penner says the power has been restored to the 80 homes that lost power in Orting. Now the city is planning for the challenges the next storm may bring.

“Out here we know that losing power is always an eventuality, especially in inclement weather. So, in order to prepare in advance we have a protocol set within the city to activate our emergency operation center and coordinate with Pierce County Emergency Management,” Penner said.

With nearly a foot of snow on the ground in Orting, people are also pitching in to help drivers who’re having trouble getting around in the snow.

“A nice guy that lived around the corner came by and was like, ‘Hey are you stuck?,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, kinda,’ and he like helped me out. He said he could either push me down, give me like a little push or tow me a little. Luckily, he was able to give it a good old push and I was out," said Natalia Martinez.

After getting her car stuck in the snow, Martinez is doing what she can to shovel the snow from her driveway and says she’s glad her neighbor was thoughtful enough to help her out.

“I thought it was amazing that the guy stopped by. I mean I had cars drive by back and forth,” Martinez said.

Mayor Penner says snow plows are scheduled to clear the main roads and some connecting streets early Monday morning.

The Mayor also told us a warming shelter will be opened in Orting if needed after the next round of snow storms.