Severe weather is part of life in Iowa. At King's Pointe we encourage all community members to have a safety plan in the event severe weather strikes in our neighborhood.
If we should have an emergency on property, Manager Jeff Westendorf will implement our emergency communication plans with the West Des Moines fire, police and emergency services. We will then give directions to community members about where to go for safety and when it is safe to return to property. Those communications may be by a combination of email, phone calls, on this website and through direct verbal communications with residents at our safe locations where we would be evacuated.
TORNADOS/HIGH WINDS
SIRENS:
Weather sirens in West Des Moines will sound during any tornado warning or storm with wind speeds occurring or forecast in excess of 70 MPH. Sirens are designed primarily to alert people who are outdoors. King's Pointe recommends that community members obtain a NOAA weather radio or smartphone app capable of waking them up in the event of severe weather.
Sirens are tested on the first Saturday of the month at noon. Tests are generally not conducted in December-February.
SAFE PLACES:
In the event of a tornado or damaging storm, it's important that community members get to lower levels of the buildings and take shelter. The best places on property to shelter are:
- Elevator pits located in the courtyard behind each building: The red metal doors can be opened and there is room in a narrow concrete bunker for about 20 people to stand. Please be aware that it is often wet, damp and with spiders in these areas. It is also very dark if the lights go out.
- Outside the elevators in the middle hallway of the buildings — preferably on 1st floor: These areas are the most interior and protected with fire walls and concrete block walls. Please do not go into the elevator itself. If power is lost, you will not be able to get out of the elevator.
- Inside your interior bathrooms with doors closed and mattress, pillows or something over you to protect from flying debris.
ADDITIONAL SAFETY TIPS:
- Please do not be in the stairwells, on decks, patios or near windows during storms.
- Please secure any outside deck and patio furniture, grills, etc.
- It is always best to park in your garage, especially during the winter months, to minimize risk of damage to vehicles on property.
WINTER STORMS
While winter storms are less likely to post threats to property and life, they still require preparation and adjustment by our community.
PARKING:
King's Pointe recommends that community members take advantage of their garages year-round to park vehicles. Garage spaces are counted toward our required number of parking spaces. Parking inside a garage during winter months reduces the number of vehicles in the parking lot and makes it easier for our snow removal vendors to keep our property clean and safe.
King's Pointe asks that all cars be removed by 10 a.m. the morning after a snow event to allow snow removal vendors to completely clear the parking lot. From the start of a snow event until the lot is fully cleared, parking is not allowed in the southeast and northeast corners of our property. Parking is also not allowed at the bottom of the hill leading to Broadmoor Apartments. These are critical turnaround and snow melt points. We also ask that cars not be parked on either side of the walk-off islands to allow vendors more space to work.
Cars that not moved after a storm or that are in no parking areas are subject to towing at the owner's expense.
SLICK SURFACES:
King's Pointe's vendors do treat parking lots and sidewalks with salt, but slick spots can form at any time during the winter months. Salt buckets are provided inside each entrance and community members are encouraged to use them to treat slick spots as needed.
** 2020-2021 EXCEPTION: Due to the new concrete in front of Building 2000, salt will not be used on property from November 2020 through April 2021. Please use extra caution during this time. **
Consider "walking like a penguin" to minimize your fall risk on property.
SIDEWALK SNOW REMOVAL:
King's Pointe employs a separate vendor to clear its sidewalks. In the event that you need to venture out and the sidewalks haven't been cleared, shovels are provided in each building to assist in clearing the way.
SNOW REMOVAL TIMELINE:
SNOW REMOVAL TIMELINE:
Each snow event will be different, but King's Pointe works closely with our snow removal vendors to clear the property as quickly and as completely as possible.
A few things to know:
- Snow removal generally does not begin until after snow has stopped falling and blowing to minimize cost. During blizzards or extended snow fall events, we will maintain ingress/egress for emergency personnel, but may not have sidewalks cleared beyond the front doors.
- We expect snow removal to be complete within eight hours of the end of a snow event. We work hard to have ingress/egress cleared by 8 a.m. on workdays, but conditions may not always all for that to be completed.
- King's Pointe uses separate vendors to clear the parking lot and sidewalks. Parking lots will generally be cleared first and may result in some snow being piled in front of garages. The sidewalk crew will clean up this space during its pass through the property. It is recommended that owners brush snow and ice off the rubber seals to prevent garage doors from freezing to the ground.
- Parking lot crews will return to clean up parking spaces a day or two following a snow event. Please move vehicles and use already cleared spaces as much as possible. Please avoid the spaces on either side of the walk-off islands to allow proper removal of all snow and ice from this area.