Ward 1 Sunday Snow Update - Office of Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau

Now is the time to shovel your sidewalks and fire hydrants. This is priority number one. It will take several days to dig out of this storm and most people will need to get around on foot. Please shovel your own sidewalk. And while you're at it, take a few minutes and help a neighbor. Don't do it because it's the law, or because the city could write a fine -- do it because these are your neighbors and we're all counting on each other. DC Fire and Emergency Services could also use your help clearing snow from around fire hydrants. Show off your freshly cleared sidewalks on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtag #DCDigOut!

Please continue to stay off the street except for emergency situations. Police are going to be more aggressive ticketing those on roads. Any cars that are impeding snow removal efforts, or are stuck or abandoned, will be ticketed and towed.

Where can I expect plows today?

The District received around 24 inches of snow and brought in 400 extra contractors for a total of 600 workers deployed for snow removal. We had 39,000 tons of salt ready, and have gotten 3,000 tons down so far. Although It was difficult to salt during the storm, the rest is getting out now. The plan today is to make major thoroughfares passable and make progress on secondary and residential streets. On main thoroughfares not all lanes will be passable yet. The goal is to be able to get to every residential road in the next 24 hours. While the District does pretreat troublesome alleys, unfortunately it does not plow them. This has been a long-standing policy due to the fact that there isn't an effective way to clear them. I understand this may be frustrating. Claudia and Tania on my team have been out in the ward all morning with the Mayor's staff (in a special vehicle, don't worry!) to oversee the progress. It's slow but steady. 

Please keep in mind these teams are responding to an historic storm so we expect it will take some time and we ask for everyone's patience. I will be following the team's progress closely. You can follow plows online at: http://snowmap.dc.gov 

Will DC Public Schools open Monday? 

No. The Mayor just announced that DC Public Schools will be closed tomorrow. The vast majority of school sites will be cleared by morning, but temperatures will be so low tonight that conditions will be dangerous and salt is ineffective at those temps. 

Are Snow Emergency parking restrictions still in effect?

Yes, the Snow Emergency remains in effect. Parking remains prohibited on Snow Emergency Routes. You can see a map of snow emergency routes here: http://snow.dc.gov/page/driving-and-parking 

Are warming centers open?

Yes. It’s still below freezing today, so you see neighbors experiencing homelessness, call the shelter hotline at 1-800-535-7252 and they will get transport to a warming center. Warming stations and cold weather shelters are still open. 

Will Metro open Monday?

All Metro services remain suspended on Sunday. WMATA tells us they expect to make an announcement about Monday service on Sunday afternoon around 2 pm. Updates will be at www.wmata.com.

Will trash pickup happen Monday?

The DC Government operating status will be announced at 5 pm. Trash pickup will also be announced at that time. 

What about power and emergency crews?

There were 550 power outages last night but they were back up within hours. 311 and 911 remain fully staffed. 

Remember that the District will update http://snow.dc.gov as the clean up progresses.  

Stay warm and stay safe! I’m always available at bnadeau@dccouncil.us if you have questions or problems with city services.