Mayor Greg Nickels says the city has stepped up efforts to keep people safe, protect property and keep Seattle moving during this year's winter storm season.

The mayor also urged all residents to make sure they are prepared to weather storms with emergency kits at home and in their cars.

"We can't control the weather, but we can control how we respond to it, and in Seattle our obligation is to be ready for the worst," the mayor said.

This year the city's winter storm preparations are based on lessons learned from the historic December 2006 wind and rain storm that caused widespread power outages, flooding and other weather-related incidents. Nickels ordered a detailed review of the city's response and directed key departments to put that information into action this year.

One of the key recommendations from the after-action report was to implement a 311 system to provide residents with an easy-to-remember, one-stop center for all non-emergency calls. Nickels proposed a 311 system in his 2008 budget, which is under review by the City Council.

During last December's wind storm, government agencies issued a confusing list of eight different numbers the public could call for help. More than half of the 911 calls received during the height of December 2006 storm were non-emergencies, adding unnecessary stress to the city's emergency dispatching system.

"Last year, we saw first hand how confusing and difficult it can be for residents to get answers in an emergency," Nickels said. "A 311 system in Seattle would play a critical role helping the city better respond to any emergency."

Day-to-day, when people call for non-emergency government services, they must first sift through a list of more than 1,000 published phone numbers, countless e-mail addresses and Web forms. The choices get much tougher during an emergency.

"During better weather, 311 will transform the way we serve our customers in Seattle," the mayor said. "With 311, our customers will have to call only one number to find the answers - whether it be for problems with noise, animal control, graffiti removal, streetlight outages, fixing a street sign, power outages, or filling a pothole. Rain or shine."

Nickels also encouraged the public to put together and keep emergency kits for their homes and cars, including batteries, transistor radios, flash lights, food, water and warm clothes.