weather

Stir craziness may have officially set in – a reader sends in from Adams Morgan.

Photo from Shaw this afternoon by PoPville resident Kathy Q

It’s 4pm – hope everyone’s still standing strong! I’m gonna use this space to update what’s going for Tuesday (power permitting). I’ll add government closings and openings and other vital info. If you know of any for Tuesday please add to the comments.

@mayorvincegray tweeted:

“PLEASE NOTE: D.C. government and @DCPublicSchools will be CLOSED again tomorrow [Tuesday] due to anticipated effects of #SandyDC”

OPM says Federal Government is closed as well:

“Applies to: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.”

Send photos, questions, observations or anything related to Hurricane Sandy via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com or via twitter to @PoPville, via facebook to Facebook.com/PrinceofPetworth, or via Flickr to the PoPville pool.

Stay safe everyone!

Russ writes:

“Even in the midst of a frankenstorm, mail is still delivered.”

Much respect. Have others received their mail as well?

@Puckbuddys tweets Monday around 4pm:

“@BensChiliBowl is open, but empty”

Update 4:30pm from WMATA:

Due to extreme weather conditions from Hurricane Sandy that are expected to impact the entire Metro service area through the overnight hours, Metro has announced the following for Tuesday, October 30:

• Metrorail and Metrobus service will not resume service Tuesday morning. An announcement on when service may be restored will be made after Metro is able to assess damage and weather conditions in the morning. Metro personnel will need to perform a comprehensive damage assessment, including inspections of track, bridges, aerial structures, stations and facilities. Metrorail service restoration is also contingent on adequate commercial power to support operations and repair of any storm-related damage. For Metrobus, service restoration will vary by route and depend on road conditions.

• MetroAccess service will remain suspended all day Tuesday.

Metro will restore service only when it is safe to do so.

Update 4:40 pm from MPD:

List of Emergency Shelters:

DHS has begun emergency sheltering operations out of the following five DPR facilities.

o Bald Eagle Recreation Center ……………………100 Joliet Street, SW

o Deanwood Recreation Center ……………………1350 49th Street, NE

o Emory Heights Recreation Center ……………..5801 Georgia Avenue, NW

o Guy Mason Recreation Center …………………..3600 Calvert Street, NW

o North Michigan Park Recreation Center ……..133 Emerson Street, NE

• The centers will be open 24 hours starting Monday, October 29th at 10:00 AM and scheduled to remain open until at least Wednesday, October 31st.

Update 5:30pm from CM Jack Evans:

“Looks like High Heel race in Dupont sched for Tues nite will be postponed. Hope to have new date soon.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user number7cloud

Well we’ve made it to noon – how’s everyone holding up? Thankfully, (knock wood, knock wood) power is still holding strong. What’s everyone doing to pass the time?

Terri Maxfield Lipp takes these amazing shots and writes:

“I took some shots Sunday night that I thought were kinda interesting. I didn’t use any filters or color tinting on the sky shots…it’s just when I darkened them a bit, they turned red. Seemingly appropriate for a historically significant storm occurring on the full moon called “The Hunter’s Moon.” Oh, yeah, and it’s Halloween on Wednesday. Yep…they should be red skies, don’t ya think?”

Photo by PoPville flickr user thisisbossi

Send photos, questions, observations or anything related to Hurricane Sandy via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com or via twitter to @PoPville, via facebook to Facebook.com/PrinceofPetworth, or via Flickr to the PoPville pool. Hoping the power stays on and please stay safe everyone!

Sunday around 5:30pm OPM updated their website:

“Applies to: Monday, October 29, 2012
FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.”

From WMATA:

“In light of updated forecast information from the National Weather Service projecting higher wind speeds, as well as the closure of Federal Government offices in the Washington area and the possibility of widespread commercial power outages, Metro has announced the following service changes for Monday, October 29, 2012:

• The Metrorail system will be closed on Monday. Rail service on Sunday night will continue operate as scheduled until its normal closing time (midnight). No decision has yet been made on when Metrorail service will be restored after Monday.

• All Metrobus service will be suspended as of the end of the service day on Sunday and remain suspended until further notice.”

From the Mayor’s Office:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced that the District government will be closed Monday, October 29 and said that the District’s agencies and regional, utility and federal partners are preparing the city to weather the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

“Let me be clear: this storm is unique, large, dangerous and unlike anything our region has experienced in a very long time,” Mayor Gray said. “We are likely to suffer significant power outages due to fallen trees and other debris, and we may experience significant street flooding. Let me also be clear about this: the District government is ready to meet this challenge.”

Officials have been working through the weekend to ensure the District’s residents, businesses and infrastructure are as ready as possible for the effects of the storm, which are expected to include heavy rain and street flooding, strong winds and power outages, and the potential for storm-surge flooding along the Potomac River and its tributaries.

Forecasters are predicting 4” to 8” of rain to fall between Sunday night and Wednesday, with bursts of rain falling at a rate of 2” per hour. Sustained tropical-storm-force winds of 40-60 miles per hour with gusts up to hurricane strength (75 miles per hour or more) are possible, and duration of the storm’s peak impact will likely be several hours – with conditions expected to deteriorate rapidly during the day tomorrow and the peak of the extreme winds expected between about noon Monday and the early hours of Tuesday morning, with high winds extending well into the day on Tuesday.

“District residents need to shelter in place during the peak of this storm, preferably on the lowest level of their home and as far away as possible from windows and potential falling trees,” Mayor Gray said.

Preparations

· D.C. Public Schools are closed on Monday, October 29, including all after-school programs and athletic events. Principals, teachers and school-based staff who are not essential personnel do not report to school tomorrow. Central-office staff and essential school-based personnel should refer to the DCPS website for updates about whether they will be required to report to work.

· Mayor Gray has declared a state of emergency in the District and has sent President Obama a pre-landfall request for a presidential disaster declaration, which would provide federal assistance to help the District defray the extra costs the storm will impose on the city. A copy of the request letter is attached to this release.

· DC Water is clearing storm drains citywide.

· The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is assigning staff and contractors to be ready to collect storm debris starting Monday, October 29, and DPW crews will assist.

· DPW tow trucks will be deployed as necessary to remove vehicles blocking roadways.

· DDOT has generators in place at major intersections. If power is disrupted, traffic signals will continue to work, and DDOT traffic control officers will be deployed to direct traffic where necessary.

· DPW is suspending street cleaning Monday through Wednesday. Bulk garbage collections for Monday and Tuesday will be rescheduled. Also, residents are asked to bag their leaves so they don’t collect in the storm drains and cause flooding.

· Crews from DC Water and District government agencies are being deployed to assist the residents of Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park, a section of the city that has been especially hard-hit by street flooding due to backed-up storm drains during heavy downpours.

Tips for Residents

Dealing with Downed Trees

Residents are reminded to stay clear of broken and hanging tree branches, which can fall at any time.

· Please report any downed tree branches by calling 311.

Residents are also reminded to stay away from downed wires, as they could be energized and electrical contact could be fatal. Report downed wires to Pepco by calling 1.877.PEPCO62

Power and Water Outages

To report a power outage, please call Pepco at 1.877.PEPCO62. Customers may report outages online at pepco.com or download Pepco’s smart phone app, pepco.com/mobileapp to report and track outages. To report a water outage, residents can call DC Water at 202.612.3400

Roadways

Motorists are reminded to treat dark intersections as four-way stops and to avoid driving through standing water.

And if your power does go out here is a good guide from USDA:

Keep/Toss charts for Fridge and Freezer

Projection via NOAA

A reader sends in a few words of advice about preparing for the Frankenstorm and some things you might want to have on hand or consider getting in advance of Sandy’s arrival:

Battery operated radios / weather radios or even the hand crank ones. Also if the cable goes out have a digital TV antenna so you can still get news over the air waves.

Bottled water. In extreme cases people can fill there bath tubs with potable water to use.

Flashlights with batteries, candle are good too but they come with a huge fire risk.

Can’t call 911 if cell service is lost or your mobile is dead so know where your nearest fire or police station is.

Have canned food but eat what’s perishable or frozen first if power goes out.

Know where utility hook up and switches are to turn off gas or electricity if supplies lines break or become exposed.

If you live in a managed multi unit building contacting the front desk or management company about their emergency plans would be helpful too.

Pets, pets freak out during storms and even before there are any signs of the storm. They can be sensitive to the low pressures. Make sure to have food and water for your pets too.

List of friends and family on paper with address.

For DC specific stuff

http://eic.rrc.dc.gov/eic/cwp/view.asp?a=1272&q=568018&cat=1

NOAA has a good PDF that explains warnings and preparedness.

Guidelines for a disaster supplies kit.