I wanted to provide an update with the latest information I've received from Governor McDonnell, Fairfax and Loudoun County Governments on Hurricane Sandy. The National Weather Service expects that the peak impact of the storm will hit Northern Virginia tonight and into the early hours of tomorrow morning. Please share or forward this email to others in the area and follow us for Updates on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraComstockVA) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/BarbaraComstock).

Because of winds that could go up to 70 or 75 mph, we have to plan for massive power outages throughout Fairfax and Loudoun County. In June, the derecho storm with high winds lasted 24 minutes. The winds we're about to experience in Northern Virginia beginning this afternoon are like the derecho, but they will last for 24 hours so we have to plan for massive power outages.

Because of the warnings with this storm we have been able to get trucks and assistance from other states not impacted moved into place so we will have more assistance immediately following the storm. Approximately 630 Virginia National Guard personnel are staged on the Eastern Shore, in Hampton Roads, along the Interstate 95 corridor from Richmond to northern Virginia ready to assist with high water transport, debris reduction and reconnaissance patrols.

Both Fairfax County and Loudoun County Schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, October 30th. The Federal Government will also be closed tomorrow. Absentee in person voting has been cancelled for today in Fairfax and Loudoun. The County and State will be reviewing possible needs for additional absentee voting times after the storm subsides.

Please use common sense by staying off the roads and indoors as travel will become extremely dangerous. Trees are already starting to come down around our area with the rain and increasing winds. Temperatures across the state are expected to fall into the 30s and 40s tonight as well. For your safety, if you must travel, please remain alert at all times, avoid secondary roadways. The Virginia Department of Transportation has lifted the HOV restrictions on interstates 395, 95, 66, and the Dulles Toll Road to increase the safety of motorists and avoid falling trees.

Have your battery-powered radio available and make sure your phone is fully charged if you lose power. Stay tuned to WTOP radio for the latest information. WTOP also has an APP for your iPhone or Android phone that would come in handy if you lose power: http://www.wtop.com/. You can also follow @WTOP on Twitter for storm updates.

- Emergency Hotline Available at 571-350-1300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 571-350-1300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/emergency-hotline-available-at-571-350-1300/

* Stay Informed on Your Mobile Device
http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/stay-informed-on-your-mobile-device/

* Shelters Not Open, But Pre-Identified If Necessary
http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/shelters-not-open-but-pre-identified-if-necessary/

* Tree Hit Your House? 4 Steps to Follow
http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/tree-hit-your-house-4-steps-to-follow/

Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter (Fairfax) Embry Rucker Community Shelter (Reston)

Help Your Family, Friends and Neighbors With The Crowdsource Reporting Map

This Fairfax County reporting system is NOT a replacement for 9-1-1. If you are experiencing an emergency or need to officially report an incident, please call 9-1-1 or the public safety non-emergency number at 703-691-2131 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703-691-2131 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, TTY 711.

Please do not risk your safety to report anything; stay safe in the hours and days ahead. You can report four types of incidents: No Power (information for us only, please officially call your power company ASAP) Trees Down Flooded Road Traffic Light Out This reporting system is a new tool we're testing, so we do not expect it will be comprehensive.

Fairfax County will monitor your reports. If they see something significant that you share, we will share it with emergency responders/planners. This will give us a selected sense of what's happening across Fairfax County as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

The link is www.fairfaxcountysandy.crowdmap.com. If you view on a desktop, you will see the view below. If you view on a smartphone, you will see a mobile version.

If you have not already done so, sign up for alerts from the county including emergency information, news releases, traffic information, and more through Alert Loudoun at www.loudoun.gov/alert; follow Loudoun County on Twitter atwww.loudoun.gov/twitter; and on Facebook at www.loudoun.gov/facebook.

For anyone who has lost power, communications or has an emergency, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is inviting anyone in need of shelter to go to one of the following LCSO Stations:

Eastern Loudoun Station

46620 East Frederick Drive, Sterling, VA

Dulles South Public Safety Center (Dulles South Station) 25216 Loudoun County Parkway, Chantilly, VA,

University Station

45299 Research Place #100, Ashburn, VA.

To determine which of these stations is nearest to you, please go to http://sheriff.loudoun.gov/findmystation.

I invite you to continue to report downed power lines and power outages in your neighborhood to Dominion at 1-866-DOM-HELP begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-866-DOM-HELP end_of_the_skype_highlighting (1-866-366-4357 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-866-366-4357 end_of_the_skype_highlighting). Customers may also report outages on their website (www.dom.com) or their newly upgraded mobile site at (http://m.dom.com).

In the event you have lost power and are using a portable generator, I would like to reiterate the need to safely operate these units. Tips on generator safety can be found on this link on their web site:https://www.dom.com/about/safety/portable-electric-generator-safety-tips.jsp

Dominion committed to deploying the resources necessary to respond to the storm. Their crews are fully mobilized and will continue to obtain assistance from other utilities and contractors. They will have the resources they need to restore power as quickly and safely as possible and will be working around the clock until all customers have their service restored.

Safety is the number one goal, for your safety and those around you, it is very important that everyone avoid any contact with downed power lines or anything touching a power line.

Telephone Numbers To Program Into Your Phone

Power

• Dominion Virginia Power outages and downed wires: 1-866-DOM-HELP begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-866-DOM-HELP end_of_the_skype_highlighting (1-866-366-4357 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-866-366-4357 end_of_the_skype_highlighting), TTY 711; view outage map
• NOVEC (Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative) outages and downed wires: 1-888-335-0500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-888-335-0500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or 703-335-0500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703-335-0500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, TTY 711; view outage reports
• BGE outages: 877-778-2222 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 877-778-2222 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; downed wires: 800-685-0123 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-685-0123 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; view outage map
• Pepco outages: 1-877-737-2662 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-877-737-2662 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; downed wires: 202-872-2369 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-872-2369 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; view outage map

5-1-1 is to be used for the latest in road conditions

#77 on a cell phone to report a traffic crash or traffic emergency

Only call 9-1-1 in a true emergency.

Fairfax County non emergency number: 703-691-2131 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703-691-2131 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Loudoun County non emergency number: 703-777-1021 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703-777-1021 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Please be safe and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at [email protected] or (703) 772-7168 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (703) 772-7168 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Consider making a donation to the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund which will directly assist Virginians who are affected by disasters. For more about the fund and to donate: https://payments.vi.virginia.gov/donatenow. I will also provide updates online and through email as appropriate and as we are able to do depending upon the storm situation.

Sincerely,

Barbara Comstock

Paid for by Friends of Barbara Comstock