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District Snow Team Readies for Full Deployment in Advance of Overnight Snowfall

Friday, December 8, 2017

(Washington, DC) – With the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasting between two and four inches of snow for Saturday, December 9, the 834-member District Snow Team will go into full deployment early Saturday morning and cover all commercial and residential routes. The deployment will begin at midnight and include 220 plows that will work in 12 hour shifts. Precipitation is expected to start around 1 am with temperatures hovering around 33 degrees. 

Pretreatment
The Department of General Services (DGS) Facilities Management Team began its deployment of snow pretreatment at 1 pm at the District’s Priority 1 and 2 locations. These areas include emergency personnel facilities, DC Public Schools, hypothermia centers and shelters, senior wellness centers, recreation and community centers, and remaining DC Government buildings. DGS contractors are using a combination of salt and brine mixture, focusing distribution on sidewalks and entryways of DC-owned properties. All driveways at emergency personnel facilities will be given a thorough pretreatment.

In addition, high priority for pretreatment is also being made at the DC Armory in anticipation of Saturday’s EdFEST 2017.

Throughout the weather event, motorists are asked to drive carefully, and remove any snow from their vehicles before traveling. As a precaution, residential and commercial property owners are advised to spread rock salt, de-icer, or non-clumping kitty litter on their sidewalks to prevent slips and falls.

Hypothermia Alert
In addition, the District will activate the Hypothermia Alert tonight at 7 pm and it will stay activated throughout the weekend. Hypothermia alerts are activated when the NWS forecasted temperature, including wind chill, is or will be 32° F or below. Under a new policy implemented by the Bowser Administration and the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Department of Human Services (DHS) will also call an overnight hypothermia alert when the temperature is forecasted to be 40° F or below and the forecasted chance of precipitation is fifty percent or greater.

Services available during this weekend’s Hypothermia Alert include:

Access to Additional Shelter: When low-barrier shelters in the District begin to reach capacity while an alert is activated, the District opens Hypothermia Shelters in recreation centers and other public buildings to ensure there are warm, safe places for anyone experiencing homelessness. Tonight’s Hypothermia Shelters will be activated in the following locations:

  • King Greenleaf Recreation Center
  • Sherwood Recreation Center
  • Banneker Recreation Center
  • Kennedy Recreation Center
  • Emery Recreation Center
  • Salvation Army
  • Community of Christ Church
  • New Covenant Church
  • Sacred Heart Church
  • CCNV Drop in Center
  • CCNV Women's Overflow Shelter
  • The Adams Place Day Center will be open on Saturday, December 9, 7 am - 7 pm and all low-barrier shelters will remain open throughout the weekend.

The following Hypothermia Shelters will open on Sunday, December 10, 7 am -7:pm

  • King Greenleaf Recreation Center
  • Emery Recreation Center
  • Kennedy Recreation Center

Transportation to Warmth and Safety: Free transportation to shelter is provided to anyone experiencing homelessness in the District during a Hypothermia Alert. To request transportation to shelter for people in Washington, DC who are experiencing homelessness, contact the Shelter Hotline by calling (202) 399-7093 or 311. Please include the time, address or location of the person, and a description of the person’s appearance.

Increased Outreach: DHS will amplify outreach efforts during the weekend to raise awareness about the availability of Hypothermia Shelters.

Families seeking emergency shelter can also visit the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center at 920 Rhode Island Avenue, NE on Monday through Thursday,  8 am - 4:30 pm and Fridays, 8 am - 12:30 pm Families may also call the Shelter Hotline at (202) 399-7093 or 311 at any time day or night.

Additional Service Changes
Residents should expect slight delays with their leaf collections, but weekend trash and recycling collections will not be impacted.

Snow Removal
Property owners – residential and commercial – are reminded that they are required to remove snow from their sidewalks within the first eight hours of daylight after a snow event ends. Residents who are homeowners and live in their own homes and are age 65 or older and/or living with a disability may be eligible for an exemption from this requirement. For further information about the exemption process and to receive an application or for information about other services, residents can call 311. 

Throughout the year, Serve DC – The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism, has compiled a list of senior citizens and residents with access and functional needs who will need assistance with snow removal after a snow event. Residents interested in assisting with snow removal can join the DC Resident Snow Team at snowteam.dc.gov or by calling (202) 727-7925. In the event of snow accumulation, volunteers will likely be deployed on Tuesday afternoon when the snow event ends and conditions are safe for snow removal.
 
On October 27, the DC Snow Team participated in a dry run training event to ensure that all personnel were trained, equipped, and ready to quickly coordinate services and restore DC streets, roadways, and sidewalks to passable conditions. The District currently has more than 31,000 tons of salt on hand for the season, with more available if needed. For more information about DC’s snow program and preparing for winter weather, or to see where District Snow Team plows are working, go to snow.dc.gov. To stay informed about weather conditions and how District services are affected, follow the accounts listed below on social media.