Special Snow Emergency Update  January 22, 2016

An Update from County Councilman Mel Franklin

January 22, 2016 | Volume 2, Special Edition

Prince George’s Rising is a countywide newsletter designed to empower communities with key information and issues of concern. It is my honor to serve you on the Prince George’s County Council. Over the last several years, including the immediate past two years as Chairman, I have worked with my colleagues on the Council to move our County forward. With your help, we are “Bringing the World to Prince George’s County.” For more information, please go to https://www.melfranklin.net or e-mail me at mel@melfranklin.net.

Prince George’s County Emergency Winter Update: Major Snow Event

The National Weather Service projects that a high impact winter storm will affect Prince George’s County and the surrounding National Capital Region beginning Friday (today) mid-day and lasting through Sunday.  Heaviest precipitation is expected Friday evening through Saturday evening with a mixture of snow and sleet.  All snow is expected to begin Saturday night and end Sunday. Temperatures will remain below freezing throughout the weekend. Residents are reminded to take precautionary measures for heavy snow, high winds, wind chill and coastal flooding. A total accumulation of 18-24 inches is the current prediction, and there is also the potential for power outages.

Road Conditions

When a snow emergency is declared, the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) is responsible for providing “passable” conditions on a network of over 1,800 miles of county-maintained roadways to ensure the safety of residents, citizens, and travelers.  Routes are prioritized for service into categories: primary, secondary and residential. Primary and secondary roads are serviced first to ensure that public safety and other emergency vehicles can travel. After completion of these roads, residential roads receive service. Crews work as long as necessary to clear roadways, which consists of salting, sanding and/or plowing, as warranted by weather conditions.

To assist crews, citizens and residents are requested to:

-Move and keep vehicles off snow emergency routes

-Park in driveways or other off-road locations wherever possible

-Park only on the even numbered sides of roads/streets

It also is important for single-family homeowners or renters and business proprietors to remember that they are responsible for removal of snow/ice from sidewalks abutting their homes or businesses.

With a storm of this magnitude it will take at least 24 hours after the precipitation has stopped to have passable primary roadways.  Passable means conditions which would allow a passenger vehicle to negotiate the travel path using reasonable care.  This usually means that the roadway is snow and/or ice covered and reasonably level.  Clearing in the residential areas will commence immediately thereafter.   We ask residents to wait at least 48 hours after the snow has ended before contacting our Snow Information Center at 301-350-0500 or 311 or SnowComCenter@co.pg.md.us.

Staying Warm

The County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in collaboration with the Prince George’s County Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission reminds residents without heat to utilize one of the local Warming Centers (http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/EmergencyManagement/Resources/Warming-Centers/Pages/default.aspx) in your community.  (Please call the center to obtain specific hours of operation). Also, any unsheltered residents seeking assistance during the late evening and night hours, are encouraged to call 211 or the homeless hotline at 1-888-731-0999FREE FREE. Counselors will be available to assist with the Prince George’s County’s Hypothermia “Warm Nights” program.

More Important Information:

More info about county services and resources from the County Office of Emergency Management: http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/Emergency-Alerts/Pages/operating-status.aspx.

Updates from the National Weather Service: http://www.weather.gov/.

Sign-up for emergency text alerts from the County: https://member.everbridge.net/index/1332612387832015#/signup.

Pepco: 1-877-737-2662. Report outages by calling 1-877-PEPCO62 (1-877-737-2662 FREE), visiting www.pepco.com or through our mobile app, available for download at pepco.com/mobile app.    Customers can find additional tips on preparing for a storm on our website, www.pepco.com.

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BG&E): 1-877-778-2222 FREE or 1-800-685-0123 FREE or go to www.bge.com.

SMECO: 1-877-747-6326 FREE or 1-888-440-3311 FREE or go to www.smeco.coop.

Washington Gas: 1-800-752-7520 FREE. Should you experience an interruption in gas service, please call Washington Gas Customer Service at (703) 750-1000 or go to www.washgas.com/

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC): 1-800-828-4002 FREE. Should customers encounter water service issues during the storm they should call our Emergency Call Center at 301-206-4002 or email EmergencyCallCenter@wsscwater.com. More info: www.wsscwater.com.

Metro (WMATA): Metro announced yesterday of major service changes and suspensions on Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess in advance of a potentially historic blizzard affecting the National Capital Region. For more info, go to: www.wmata.com.