Winter Storm Preparations
A winter storm event is scheduled to begin in our area mid-day on Sunday, January 31, continuing through the evening of Monday, February 1. Forecasts vary with estimates for several inches of snow, with some predictions estimating as much as nine inches.
Public Works personnel are actively monitoring local forecasts and will report to the Village on Sunday morning to begin preparations for the storm and to apply any pre-treatment or salt that may be appropriate per updated forecasting.
For the safety of our residents and Public Works crews, residents are asked to avoid walking in the street and to keep their distance from Village snowplows when they are operating. As the snow picks up in intensity, visibility will be greatly reduced thereby making it very difficult to see and making roadways snow covered and slippery.
As always, the Village Communications Center and Police Department will remain staffed through the storm (301-654-7300).
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.
Pursuant to Sec. 13-12 of the Village Code, parking is restricted beginning at noon Sunday, January 31, 2021 and ending at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2021 for the following streets in order to adequately facilitate snow clearing efforts:
- The full length of both sides of West Lenox Street, west of Cedar Parkway
- The full length of the northeast (odd) side of Summerfield Road between Oxford Street and Western Avenue
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. Please reference the Teen List featured in the printed version of the Crier for local teens available to perform sidewalk shoveling.
Residents abutting Connecticut Avenue and Brookville Road are not required to clear the sections of sidewalk abutting these roadways.
Trash and Recycling Collection
Monday’s trash collection may be cancelled due to the storm. Village staff will be in contact with our contractor and a blast email will be circulated if collection operations will be impacted.
As always, if you must travel in during the storm, please exercise extreme caution.