Winter Storm Preparations
A winter storm event is scheduled to begin in our area this evening, continuing overnight and into the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 26. Forecasts vary with predictions ranging from a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain to begin this evening and end near daybreak tomorrow, with the potential for accumulations of 1 – 2 inches of snow and sleet and up to a tenth of an inch of ice.
Public Works personnel are actively monitoring local forecasts and will remain on-duty to monitor road conditions and respond as needed into the evening. Crews will not be pre-treating roads as the storm is expected to begin as rain that could wash away any pre-treatment.
Should icy conditions develop, crews will use plows to move ice/slush out of the roadway, concentrating on hills and intersections. This operation will be loud; we apologize in advance for any disturbance this may cause.
Due to the potential for icy conditions, we urge residents to avoid traveling during the evening hours and to expect icy conditions on walkways, sidewalks, and roads overnight and in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
At this time, we anticipate that our contractor will collect trash as scheduled on Tuesday, January 26; however, collection may be delayed.
Parked Vehicles
Residents are asked to move vehicles off of Village roadways to provide ample space for our salt spreader trucks and to allow for the full width of the roadway to be treated. If you do not have a driveway that can accommodate your vehicles, please attempt to park as close as possible to the curb adjacent to your property. In past storms, the Village Public Works Department has observed numerous vehicles that were parked a distance from the curb, which impedes the crew’s ability to clear streets and can result in vehicle damage.
In the Event of a Power Outage
If power is interrupted, the Village will maintain contact with PEPCO to ensure power is restored as promptly as possible; however, power restoration may be hampered as weather conditions dictate. If you lose power, please contact PEPCO directly at (877) 737-2662, through PEPCO’s app (available where you download apps or at pepco.com/mobileapp), or by text alert (see below) and alert the Village Communications Center at (301) 654-7300. Residents should not assume that PEPCO knows you do not have power—every household that loses power should contact both PEPCO and the Village, which also allows us to monitor the scope of the outage.
NEVER touch or drive over downed utility lines. All downed utility lines are to be treated as if they are live.
To register and send an outage text alert to PEPCO: Text “ADD OUTAGE” to “48710” from a phone linked to your account to register for text alerts. Once registered, during an outage simply text “Out” to “48710” to report your outage (text messaging rates apply).
Sidewalk Clearing
Residents are responsible for clearing all ice and accumulated snow from the sidewalk in front of or abutting their property within the first forty-eight (48) hours after the cessation of falling precipitation. Residents who occupy corner lots are responsible for the sidewalk in front of and on the side of their property. Residents abutting Connecticut Avenue and Brookville Road are not required to clear the sections of sidewalk abutting these roadways.
If you must travel in during the storm, please exercise extreme caution.