DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Briefs on Winter Storm Preparedness and State of Emergency

Winter Storm Forecast and State of Emergency

• ❄️ Washington D.C. is preparing for a significant winter storm expected to bring at least 9 inches of snow, with potential for more, starting Saturday evening and continuing through Sunday and possibly Monday.
• ⚠️ The storm may include freezing rain overnight Sunday into Monday, increasing hazardous conditions, and is followed by a week of extremely cold temperatures with wind chills below zero.
• 🚨 In response, Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a state of emergency for the District of Columbia, effective immediately, and requested vehicle support from the DC National Guard.

Public Preparedness and Shelter Information

• 🏠 Residents are urged to get prepared and stay inside, with outreach teams working to get people into shelters, where space is available for everyone.
• 📞 For those needing shelter, the shelter hotline can be reached by calling 311 or 202-399-7093.
• 🔌 Personal preparedness includes charging devices, locating shovels and flashlights, and ensuring sufficient batteries.
• 🛒 Residents should stock up on groceries and make plans for senior family members and neighbors.
• 📱 Signing up for Alert DC at alert.dc.gov will provide direct updates to phones.

Transportation and Government Operations

• 🚗 Motorists must move vehicles from snow emergency routes by Saturday at noon, and these routes must remain clear until Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
• 🏫 DC Public Schools have a planned no school day for students on Monday; staff professional development will be virtual. Updates for public charter schools will come directly from them.
• 🗑️ Leaf collection is suspended, and trash collection days will slide; updates will be provided on pickup schedules.
• 🚶 Property owners are responsible for shoveling sidewalks and clearing alley spaces.

Agency Preparations and Public Safety

• 🛠️ The Department of Public Works (DPW) has over 800 employees and 300 pieces of equipment for snow abatement and removal, beginning operations with brining streets.
• 🚆 Metro will activate its emergency operations center, with over 400 pieces of snow-fighting equipment and hundreds of personnel, prioritizing safe operation of rail and bus services, though impacts are expected.
• ⚡ Pepco is preparing for the worst, focusing on preventing outages, ensuring resource availability, and transparent communication with customers, prioritizing emergency services and outages affecting the most customers.
• 🆘 Hypothermia shelters will be open 24/7 throughout the storm, providing food, case management, and other services, with outreach teams working to encourage people to come inside.
• ⚠️ Residents are reminded of the dangers of shoveling snow and slip-and-fall incidents due to ice, urging caution and checking on neighbors.