
Photo by Dan Jackson
Thanks to Dan for sending the shot above from the the Soviet Safeway in Dupont.
From the Mayor’s Office:
“With the National Weather Service forecasting between 2 and 13 inches of snow for Monday, March 13 going into Tuesday, March 14, the District Snow Team will go into full deployment on Monday evening, with more than 200 plows scheduled to be on their posts by 7:00 p.m. Precipitation is expected to start as rain Monday evening around 5:00 p.m. with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, then transition to snow within two hours. Throughout Monday night and into Tuesday morning, temperatures are expected to drop into the low 30s as the snow continues.
“The DC Government is utilizing every resource to prepare for forecasted snowfall in the coming days,” said Mayor Bowser. “We urge residents to continue monitoring weather updates and to take necessary precautions in the event we experience significant snow accumulation Monday night into Tuesday morning.”
On Sunday, March 12, the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) began pretreating streets and highways with a mix of brine and beet juice that slows ice forming on roads, and the Department of General Services (DGS) pretreated sidewalks around DC Public Schools, Department of Parks and Recreation Centers, and Metropolitan Police Department and Fire and Emergency Medical Services properties. On Monday morning, DPW and DDOT will begin pretreating major roads and residential routes with rock salt and brine. As a precaution, residential and commercial property owners are advised to spread rock salt, de-icer, or non-clumping kitty litter on their sidewalks to prevent slips and falls.
Throughout the year, Serve DC, the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism, has compiled a list of senior citizens and residents with access and functional needs who will need assistance with snow removal after a snow event. Residents interested in assisting with snow removal can join the DC Resident Snow Team at ServeDC.VolunteerHub.com. In the event of snow accumulation, volunteers will likely be deployed on Tuesday afternoon when the snow event ends and conditions are safe for snow removal.
DPW has suspended street sweeping for Tuesday, and all scheduled bulk trash pickup appointments for Tuesday are cancelled and will be rescheduled.
In addition, the Department of Human Services (DHS), in collaboration with the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), will continue the activation of the city’s Cold Emergency Plan. Under a “Cold Emergency Alert” additional services and supports are provided to protect residents from life-threatening illness and injury associated with severe cold weather.
The DC Government activates the Cold Emergency Plan when the temperature and wind chill drop to 15° F or when the temperature, with wind chill, is 20° F and there is an accompanying meteorological event such as snow. DHS, HSEMA, and other agencies have determined that the weather, as forecasted, presents a danger, especially to residents who are experiencing homelessness.
Key services provided during Cold Emergency Alerts include: (more…)