This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-region-begins-digging-out-after-major-snowstorm-finally-moves-on/2014/02/14/e7eabea2-955b-11e3-8461-8a24c7bf0653_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
D.C. region begins digging out after major snowstorm finally moves on D.C. region begins digging out after major snowstorm finally moves on
(35 minutes later)
The Washington region tried to dig itself out and get around Friday morning after the area’s most significant snowfall in four years descended with a double bite Thursday, punctuating a winter already cold, harsh and relentless. A Washington region at wit’s end with winter dug out for the second time in 24 hours Friday, groaning under the weight of the area’s most significant snowfall in four years.
Officials around the region said Friday morning’s commute seemed to get off to a slower start than usual, with slightly less traffic on the major roadways — in part because all public schools in the region were closed and the federal government was opening two hours late. The morning commute got off to a slower start than usual, with slightly less traffic on the major roadways — in part because all public schools in the region were closed and the federal government was opening two hours late.
But for those drivers who ventured out, there were troubles. The region staggered into the day like a punch-drunk fighter, praying for this round of winter to end. Many people awakened to the scrape of snow shovels and listened for the deeper growl of snow plows. People who owned snow blowers felt vindicated for their investment.
The southbound and northbound lanes of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway were closed for a few hours but reopened around 8:30 a.m. Friday because of accidents likely due to the weather, officials said. The parkway’s northbound lanes at Route 410 in Hyattsville were closed, as were the southbound lanes near Route 202 in Landover. Though the sun was shining, snow flurries and sub-freezing temperatures were forecast for the weekend.
The wintry onslaught left at least 21 people dead along the East Coast, including a pregnant woman who was struck by a snowplow in New York City and whose baby was then born by Cesarean section, the Associated Press reported. Min Lin, 36, died after the accident outside a Brooklyn shopping center. Her baby was reported in critical condition. Many local governments in the D.C. area said most of their roads were plowed and treated by midday Friday and that crews were gradually working on smaller, side streets.
Swaths of the Northeast were hit harder than the Washington area: more than 22 inches of snow blanketed Somerset County, Pa., and parts of Upstate New York got up to 27 inches, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re hoping we make really significant progress today,” said Joan Morris, a spokeswoman with the Virginia Department of Transportation. “It’s not curb-to-curb 100 percent perfect yet, but certainly people can get around the major roads.”
As the storm moved from the South through the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, about 1.2 million utility customers lost power. By Friday morning, the outages had dropped to about 440,000, mostly in South Carolina and Georgia. Maryland Highway Administration spokesman Charlie Gischlar said the state’s numbered roads and instates would be plowed by Friday evening.
With temperatures below freezing overnight, Washington-area police and highway officials said, drivers should allow extra time in their commutes, slow down and leave plenty of space between vehicles. Major roadways, including the Capital Beltway and Interstates 395 and 95, have been treated and are clear of snow, highway officials said, but they warned that there still may be slick spots and that many side streets have not been plowed. Sidewalks are slippery and crosswalks are piled with snow that’s been pushed off roads. “Yesterday we wanted to make it passable,” he said. “Today we went through and we’re currently pushing back on the shoulders, making sure the ramps are shoulder to shoulder.”
Montgomery County spokesman Patrick Lacefield said sunshine and elevated temperatures were softening the snow and making it “a pretty good day for plowing.” Montgomery has 220 snow routes, and all were being dealt with simultaneously, he said. County crews were scheduled to go into central business districts in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton with trucks Friday night to load snow and haul it away.
“The real issues is side streets,” said Taran Hutchinson, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination program, a partnership of area transportation departments. “There are slick spots here and there. You have got to take it slow.”“The real issues is side streets,” said Taran Hutchinson, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination program, a partnership of area transportation departments. “There are slick spots here and there. You have got to take it slow.”
“The roads are passable as crews have gotten to them, but people have to dig themselves out of parking spots and side streets, and it is going to be a bit of a challenge for this first day back.”“The roads are passable as crews have gotten to them, but people have to dig themselves out of parking spots and side streets, and it is going to be a bit of a challenge for this first day back.”
Many local governments in the D.C. area said most of their county roads had been plowed and treated by midday Friday and that crews were gradually working on smaller, side streets. Most crews were expected to finish plowing streets by Friday night, officials said. In the District, Department of Public Works spokeswoman Linda Grant said plowing operations were largely over.
“We’re hoping we make really significant progress today,” said Joan Morris, a spokeswoman with the Virginia Department of Transportation. She said as many as 4,000 snow plows were dispatched Thursday night and Friday morning. “Whether plowing or salting, we’ve been over virtually every street,” Grant said, “but we always know there is going to be some street. . . that is missed, so we ask residents to call 311 to report that you need attention to your street.”
“It’s not curb-to-curb 100 percent perfect yet, but certainly people can get around the major roads,” she said late Friday morning.
Montgomery County spokesman Patrick Lacefield said sunshine and elevated temperatures were softening the snow and making it “a pretty good day for plowing.” Montgomery has 220 snow routes, and all were being dealt with simultaneously, he said. County crews were scheduled to go into central business districts in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton with trucks Friday night to load snow and haul it away.
Snowfall varied around the D.C. region. As of Friday morning, nearly 18 inches had fallen in Gaithersburg, according to the National Weather Service. Seventeen inches fell in the District, 13 inches in West Falls Church and eight inches in Alexandria.Snowfall varied around the D.C. region. As of Friday morning, nearly 18 inches had fallen in Gaithersburg, according to the National Weather Service. Seventeen inches fell in the District, 13 inches in West Falls Church and eight inches in Alexandria.
It was the heaviest snowfall in the area since the “Snowmageddon” storm of 2010.It was the heaviest snowfall in the area since the “Snowmageddon” storm of 2010.
Forecasters of the Capital Weather Gang said temperatures Friday would range from 35 degrees to 42 degrees, with some morning sun, but they warned of a possible snow or rain shower midday Saturday.
Metrobus, which suspended operations Thursday afternoon because of weather conditions, resumed bus service at 5 a.m. Friday, but only on selected major routes.Metrobus, which suspended operations Thursday afternoon because of weather conditions, resumed bus service at 5 a.m. Friday, but only on selected major routes.
VRE and MARC trains operated Friday on an “S Schedule.”VRE and MARC trains operated Friday on an “S Schedule.”
Nearly 1,500 flights across the country were canceled.Nearly 1,500 flights across the country were canceled.
At Ronald Reagan National Airport, 74 flights were canceled Friday morning, and an additional 39 were canceled at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to FlightAware, a Houston-based flight tracking firm. At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, about 30 flights were canceled. Dulles had three runways open Friday, while Reagan had its main runway open. None of the runways were closed Thursday at BWI.At Ronald Reagan National Airport, 74 flights were canceled Friday morning, and an additional 39 were canceled at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to FlightAware, a Houston-based flight tracking firm. At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, about 30 flights were canceled. Dulles had three runways open Friday, while Reagan had its main runway open. None of the runways were closed Thursday at BWI.
The heavy snowfall that began late Wednesday kept the bulk of the region’s residents at home.The heavy snowfall that began late Wednesday kept the bulk of the region’s residents at home.
The storm was linked to at least four deaths in the Washington region. A Virginia Department of Transportation contract truck driver working to clear roads died after he was struck by another VDOT truck in Ashburn. Virginia State Police said Lovo Guevara Geovany Arnoldo, 32, of Vienna, pulled off the road and was standing behind his truck when he was hit by the second VDOT truck.The storm was linked to at least four deaths in the Washington region. A Virginia Department of Transportation contract truck driver working to clear roads died after he was struck by another VDOT truck in Ashburn. Virginia State Police said Lovo Guevara Geovany Arnoldo, 32, of Vienna, pulled off the road and was standing behind his truck when he was hit by the second VDOT truck.
In Howard County, Md., two men in their 50s died after collapsing while shoveling snow, one in Woodstock and the other in Columbia, said Marc Fischer, a spokesman for Howard’s fire and rescue department. A third man was found dead outside, but officials did not know how he had died. Autopsies were expected to be performed Friday.
A Fairfax County man died Thursday after helping a neighbor clear a snow-covered driveway, his family said.A Fairfax County man died Thursday after helping a neighbor clear a snow-covered driveway, his family said.
Peter C. Williams, 67, was using a snow blower on a hilly driveway in the 1800 block of Collingwood Road in the Alexandria section of Fairfax when he collapsed, his former brother-in-law John Hooff said. Williams was transported to Mt. Vernon Hospital around 11:20 a.m., Fairfax County fire officials said. Peter C. Williams, 67, was using a snow blowing machine on a hilly driveway in the 1800 block of Collingwood Road in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County when he collapsed, his former brother-in-law John Hooff said. Williams was transported to Mt. Vernon Hospital around 11:20 a.m., Fairfax County fire officials said.
Williams, an attorney, was active in the Rotary Club of Alexandria.Williams, an attorney, was active in the Rotary Club of Alexandria.
“He was an absolute prince of a man,” Hooff said. “He was a friend to everyone. . .. It’s just really said. He died trying to help someone.” “He was an absolute prince of a man,” Hooff said. “He was a friend to everyone…It’s just really said. He died trying to help someone.”
In Howard County, Md., two men in their 50s died after collapsing while shoveling snow, one in Woodstock and the other in Columbia, said Marc Fischer, a spokesman for Howard’s fire and rescue department. A third man was found dead outside, but officials did not know how he had died. Autopsies were expected to be performed Friday. The wintry onslaught left at least 21 people dead along the East Coast, including a pregnant woman who was struck by a snowplow in New York City and whose baby was then born by Cesarean section, the Associated Press reported. Her baby was reported in critical condition.
“This is deep, heavy snow, and I implore everyone to take it easy,” Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said in a news release. “Please don’t over-exert yourself. Clear a little at a time.” Swaths of the Northeast were hit harder than the Washington area: more than 22 inches of snow blanketed Somerset County, Pa., and parts of Upstate New York got up to 27 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
By Thursday evening, many of the region’s major school systems had announced they would be closed for a second day Friday, creating a five-day vacation for schoolchildren, who have Monday off for President’s Day. As the storm moved from the South through the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, about 1.2 million utility customers lost power. By Friday morning, the outages had dropped to about 440,000, mostly in South Carolina and Georgia.
For 17-month-old Evalyn Heyman, Thursday brought her first real frolic in the snow. “She loves it,” Leigh Heyman, 42, said as his daughter played on 13th Street in Northwest Washington. “She clearly has Northern parents. She got the whole walking-on-ice thing pretty quickly.”
The bad weather spread across the eastern states, bombarding them with the same snow and ice that paralyzed much of the South on Wednesday. More than 6,000 flights were canceled Thursday, most of them in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York and the Washington region’s three major airports.
Virginia State Police said they had responded to more than 3,300 calls for assistance statewide, and there were scores of disabled vehicles in Northern Virginia.
Power outages were surprisingly absent through much of Thursday, but utility companies stood ready overnight if ice and freezing rain topped the heavy snow to bring down lines.
Council member George Leventhal (D-At—Large) said Pepco is typically the biggest story coming out of the storm. But he said he’s had not received a single call about power outages. “Whatever they’ve done to harden their facilities, it’s worked.”
In a region given to bashing weather forecasters for getting it wrong, there was little for the cynics to complain about this time.
“I never really believed it,” James Beaner, 40, said of the forecast. “I didn’t think it was going to stop anyone from doing anything.”
Almost 1,000 flights from the Washington region’s airports were canceled Thursday, and the Brock family had planned to be on one of them. The snow hardly curbed their excitement as they waited at Reagan National Airport in hope of getting a flight to their vacation in Miami.
Still, Heidi Brock, 50, was thankful for being in a “great entertainment spot” for her young son, motioning to the snow removal process in progress on the closed runways.
“With a 6-year-old boy, there’s nothing more interesting than airplanes and dump trucks,” she said.
American Airlines Flight 1575 was the only one to Chicago that had not been canceled.
When the flight crew arrived about an hour before the 5:20 p.m. scheduled departure, the passengers started to cheer.
“It’s crazy to see all the cancellations, and then ours is the only one on schedule,” said Matt Bordner, 19, of Dakota, Ill., population 500.
With schools and most workplaces closed Thursday, people spent the day shoveling snow. But Lloyd Hepner, 72, of Strasburg, Va., was in business.
“I can make $4,000 to $5,000 in a day,” Hepner said, leaning on his shovel after 20 hours of work. “Four to five inches of snow works good, but this is too much.
“I guess I’m used to it,” Hepner said.
Justin Williams, 19, and his friend Melvin Anderson, 18, saw snow as a moneymaking possibility, too, as they walked through Fort Washington, Md., with large shovels over their shoulders. But they said only one person in the 11 houses they called on had cash to pay their $25 fee. Everyone else offered checks or credit cards.
“Nah. man, I ain’t taking nobody’s check to shovel no snow,” Williams said. “How is it no one has any cash out here?”
The piles of snow next to Will Smith’s Volvo XC90 stood nearly as tall as his SUV, but the 29-year-old had managed to do what almost no one else on his block in Fairfax County had done: dig out his car.
Smith said the excavation was backbreaking. When asked how long it took, he had to stop and calculate. He finally offered a tally: 90 minutes.
“I was joking with my wife that they put camping chairs in parking spots in Chicago to save them after they dig their cars out,” Smith said. “I was going to leave a little mound of snow in my spot with my shovel stuck in it, so no one parks in it.”
The snow was play for Irina Yakadina, 42, and her son, 15-year-old Ilya Besancon. They crafted a motorcycle to accompany the myriad snowmen that others had erected in Logan Circle.
“Fantastic. Beautiful. It’s a true snow where you can really build stuff,” Yakadina said. “How much better can it get?”
But for those who live on the streets, bad weather is not a time for fun.
The organization that runs the emergency shelter for men in Montgomery reported a record number of people seeking their services Wednesday night. After averaging 178 men this winter, they took in 198.
In Arlington County, emergency shelters for single adults that are typically open only for the night stayed open throughout the cold and snowy day Thursday, said Kathy Sibert, executive director of the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network.
“We always find a way to make room,” she said. “We never turn anyone away.”
The District is one of only a handful of jurisdictions nationwide, including New York City and Massachusetts, that gives residents a legal right to shelter on nights when temperatures drop below freezing.
The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project brought activity packets to snowed-in children at D.C. General on Thursday. Jamila Larson, who is with the group, said children have few places to play inside the shelter and no place to play outside, save for a parking lot and a sidewalk near a methadone clinic.
“A snow day for kids at the shelter isn’t the same as a snow day for most kids,” she said. “They have nothing to do.”
Bill Turque, Debbi Wilgoren, Matt Zapotosky, Julie Zauzmer, Dan Morse, Theresa Vargas, Michael E. Ruane. T. Rees Shapiro, Michael Rosenwald, Katherine Shaver, Caitlin Gibson, Steve Hendrix, Patrick Svitek, Emma Brown, Patricia Sullivan, Martin Weil, Susan Svrluga, Paul Duggan, Keith Alexander, Antonio Olivo, Michael A. Chandler, Lynh Bui, Luz Lazo, Lori Aratani, Mike DeBonis, Mark Berman, Justin Jouvenal, Brigid Schulte, Katherine Shaver, Donna St. George, Victoria St. Martin, Laura Vozzella, John Wagner, Ovetta Wiggins and Clarence Williams contributed to this report.Bill Turque, Debbi Wilgoren, Matt Zapotosky, Julie Zauzmer, Dan Morse, Theresa Vargas, Michael E. Ruane. T. Rees Shapiro, Michael Rosenwald, Katherine Shaver, Caitlin Gibson, Steve Hendrix, Patrick Svitek, Emma Brown, Patricia Sullivan, Martin Weil, Susan Svrluga, Paul Duggan, Keith Alexander, Antonio Olivo, Michael A. Chandler, Lynh Bui, Luz Lazo, Lori Aratani, Mike DeBonis, Mark Berman, Justin Jouvenal, Brigid Schulte, Katherine Shaver, Donna St. George, Victoria St. Martin, Laura Vozzella, John Wagner, Ovetta Wiggins and Clarence Williams contributed to this report.