Stay Informed: An Update On The Winter Storm
Dear Friend,
Six or more inches are possible across the Washington suburbs today and the NWS has issued a winter weather advisory through 3:00 a.m. on Thursday. Winds will increase as the snow tapers off, peaking Wednesday afternoon with gusts up to 45 mph possible across much of Virginia.
As you know, we will be monitoring events as they occur and get you updated information from VDOT, Dominion Power, local officials and others. Please share this newsletter and info with friends and/or follow us on Facebook as the situation develops.
VDOT
As of 4:00 a.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)deployed more than 4,000 salt trucks and plows throughout Northern Virginia in preparation for up to a foot of wet, heavy snow. Emergency tree contractors are on standby as strong winds could bring down trees and power lines.
VDOT has two snow removal programs, one for high volume roads and another for subdivisions (main thoroughfares in neighborhoods, residential streets and cul-de-sacs). Therefore, crews will be working on high volume roads and in subdivisions concurrently. Within each of these programs, roads with the highest traffic volumes are cleared first.
VDOT reminds motorists to use caution when driving during wintry weather. Drivers should:
- Check current weather, road conditions and traffic before traveling at www.511Virginia.org or by calling 511
- Slow down, allow for extra time to reach your destination
- Be aware of potentially icy areas such as bridges
- Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind other vehicles and trucks that are plowing the road
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VDOT's Winter Resources
For snow removal information:
To see the status of plowing in your neighborhood:http://novasnowplowing.virginia.gov
For real-time traffic updates and road conditions:
Visit http://www.511virginia.org/, download the 511 smartphone app, or follow @511northernva on Twitter.
Reporting unplowed roads or hazardous conditions:
Email [email protected] or call 1-800-FOR-ROAD(800)-367-7623
For general VDOT info:
Follow VDOT on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VirginiaDOT, on Twitter @VDOT, and visit www.VirginiaDOT.org
Snow Removal Tips
To make the snow removal process easier, VDOT has a few recommendations and reminders for local citizens:
1. When shoveling your own sidewalk/driveway, leave at least 5 feet of snow from the curb until after the plow has passed through.
2. Park your car on the odd numbered side of the street or in driveways. The more cars are parked on the street, the less amount of snow is able to be plowed.
3. Stay off the road if there are reports of a storm. Abandoned cars are one of the biggest obstacles to the plowing process.
4. Remember that it is harder for crews to plow packed snow and especially ice. Don't expect to be able to see black pavement once the plow comes through.
5. The goal is to make all roads one lane passable, not clear them completely of snow.
Dominion Power
NEW APP- Dominion has implemented several steps that will make it faster and easier for customers to report outages and check on their status when using Dominion's web site,dom.com, via their computers, smartphones or other mobile devices.
To report outages through one of these devices, customers need to provide:
- A 10-digit telephone number associated with the account
- The last four digits of their Social Security number, federal tax identification number, or PIN.
This information will be used to confirm the outages' locations. Customers will also be asked for contact information to enable Dominion to obtain additional details regarding the outage if necessary. Additionally, customers using smartphones will be automatically directed to a mobile website through which they can obtain outage updates and view power outages by city and county.
Customers who lose power can also report the outages through Dominion's toll-free customer service line, 1-866-DOM-HELP(1-866-366-4357). The company will also issue periodic updates on FaceBook and Twitter (DomVaPower). Customers may also track power outages in their area by viewing Dominion's Interactive Electric Outage map, which is shown below and available here.
Verizon
To access the latest winter weather tips from Verizon, please click here.
Other Emergency Contact Information
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
Loudoun County non emergency number: 703-777-1021
General Emergency Planning Tips:http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/makeaplan
Tips for Seniors:http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/getakit/older
Winter Weather Tips:http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/winter/winter-preparedness-week
As always, during every storm, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] or call me at (703) 772-7168 if you are having issues regarding either plowing or storm outages. I hope this will be a non-event winter in terms of weather, but it is necessary to be prepared.
I try to be accessible to my constituents in as many ways as possible. For more information, please visit my website,www.delegatecomstock.com, where you can read my blog for up-to-date information on Virginia, click to follow me on Facebook, (www.facebook.com/BarbaraComstockVA) or Twitter, (www.twitter.com/BarbaraComstock).
Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Barbara Comstock
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