Blizzard Recap Answers Questions

“During the course of snow removal activities, the County removed 45 million cubic yards of snow. If this snow had been concentrated on a single football field, the snow would have risen to 40,000 feet.” This is according to a report presented at Tuesday’s Blizzard of 2010 Recap attended by the State Highway Administration, PEPCO, Comcast, Verizon and County Departments of Transportation, Police, Fire and Rescue Services, and Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

We compiled a list of questions gleaned directly from the calls and e-mail we received from residents across the county. This was our chance to discuss both best practices and lessons learned from the unprecedented storms.

By all accounts, collaboration among departments and agencies accounted for much of the success throughout the storms. For example, DOT worked with PEPCO in the effort to access downed wires. Humvees borrowed from the State of Maryland helped County employees reach residents with critical needs.

Mostly the system for snow removal worked well, although DOT discovered a few missing streets from its GIS program and is making corrections. Several residents asked if plowing could begin on neighborhoods streets once primary roads are passable (as opposed to completely cleared, as is the policy). Officials said they remain confident that the current system is better for residents because providing access to inadequately plowed arterial roads would present significant safety hazards. On the plus side, Ride On was running sooner and for longer hours than bus systems in neighboring jurisdictions.

About 25 percent of residents experienced power outages, making this the worst weather event for PEPCO since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Workers walked through unplowed snow and worked in the extreme cold and wind in order to restore power. The first priority for PEPCO workers was to address downed wires. Then workers moved to main artery lines and lines that serve critical facilities. PEPCO is in the process of converting to “smart meters” which will be a significant diagnostic tool in future storms.

These are only a few of the highlights of yesterday’s session. To learn more, read the report, or check out the entire briefing which will be available on the Council’s Web site shortly.