Major Storm and Rescheduled Town Hall Information

***UPDATE Sunday, 1/24/16 5:00 P.M.***

VDOT advises that they are now moving into cleaning up the 16,000 neighborhood streets in Northern Virginia that are impacted.

Here's a video from VDOT on how to properly clear your driveway to avoid having to shovel a second time.

***UPDATE Sunday, 1/24/16 3:00 P.M.***

We just got off a telephone conference with the Governor's staff who is the Emergency Command Center.

• Virginia is still in response operations. 
• All snow moved out as of midnight.  No snow accumulation is projected for next 72 hours.  Temperature is rising.  There is a limited spotty icing forecast. 
• Please stay off the roads for another day or two unless you absolutely have to get out.
• Please be careful outside.  EMT's will be very busy with broken arms, wrist, legs, etc. in this kind of weather.
• There have been five fatalities relating to the storm.  Some from crashes and some exertion related heart attacks.
• VDOT is still reporting 900 roadways impacted. 
• Dulles and National Airports are still closed to flights.  Richmond Airport is opening today. 
• All Amtrak service is closed.  There's limited service going north to Boston.
• D.C. Metro remains closed.
• Power companies are reporting only 738 customers out of power.  We are well below average and were very fortunate with this storm.
• State Police have responded to 6,800 incidents since this started.  1,400 traffic accidents and 2,000 disabled vehicles.
• National Guard is out on 29 active missions.  They will probably be active through Tuesday. 
• Down to 30 local states of emergency. 
• Over a dozen localities hit record-high snow falls and we might be eligible for a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
• There have been 25 confirmed structural collapses around the state including the Redskins practice bubble in Ashburn and most serious is an apartment in Prince William County that displaced 55 people, and an elderly home in Fairfax County.

***UPDATE Sunday, 1/24/16 1:00 P.M.***

I will update at 3:00 pm after our conference call with the Governor.  In the meantime, you can check the status of plowing in your neighborhood here:

VDOT REAL-TIME ONLINE PLOW MAP

***UPDATE 1100 A.M.***

We just got off a telephone conference with the Governor from the Emergency Command Center in Midlothian and here is what we were told.

• Snowfall impacted the entire state.  Roanoke 12", Winchester 16", Fairfax 20"+.
• They are seeing flooding in tidal areas especially in Hampton Roads.
• Plows are working 24-7.  There are 13,000 pieces of equipment on the road including 7,000 contractors helping with the cleaning. 
• State Police has responded to 4,400 incidents and 1,100 accidents.
• There's only been 4 injuries so far and 3 fatalities in Southwest Virginia.
• Only 4,000 without power right now. 
• National Guard has been activated - 700 are deployed on 23 active missions.
• More snow is coming and will end at midnight tonight.
• Tomorrow - stay home.  People are staying home which is helping them get the roads cleared and keeping things safe.  One Trooper was injured last night while responding to an incident. 
• Goal is to work all day Sunday to clear the primary roads after snow stops at midnight and to get roads in shape.  Secondary roadwork is expected to start on Monday.   

***UPDATE 800 A.M.***

• The briefing we received at 700 AM suggests that we are still on track for up to 36 inches of snow in Northern Virginia.
• Dominion Resources is reporting only 8,200 outages statewide.  This will change as the wind picks up.  More info at http://outagemap.dom.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/external/default.html
• Plows are continuing to work the primary roads.  Some secondary (neighborhood) roads have been plowed, but not many.  More info at http://www.vdotplows.org/

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Governor Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency for Virginia due to the impending winter storm Jonas.  Here is some information for you and your family stay warm, safe and secure for the duration of the blizzard.

I will update this post with information as it is made available to me via Virginia Emergency Information Network. 

Winter Storm Jonas is expected to hit Northern Virginia Friday afternoon through Sunday morning and is expected to bring anywhere from 18 - 24 inches of snow and sleet.

 You can prepare by:

• Monitoring your local news sources for the latest weather conditions
• Prepare your car for winter driving conditions including having an emergency kit in your vehicle
• Prepare your home for winter weather conditions in case of power outages
• Before getting behind the wheel, call 511, go to www.511virginia.org or download the 511 mobile app to get the latest road condition information
• You may also call 800-FOR-ROAD (800-637-7623) to report road hazards or ask road-related questions at VDOT's 24-hour Customer Service Center
• When driving, give yourself extra time to reach your destination, leave plenty of driving room between you and the vehicle ahead and slow down
• Have all of your utility account information on hand in case of power outages 

       Additionally, please use the link and the numbers provided below to stay up-to-date on the road conditions or to report any power outages and road blocks:

Dominion Resources Power Outage Line

1-866-366-4357

Dominion Resources Storm Center Outage and Restoration Updates

Northern Virginia Outages Map

VDOT Street Problem Number
1 (800) FOR-ROAD

VDOT REAL-TIME ONLINE PLOW MAP

Other Resources

Dominion

NOVEC

Washington Gas  

Fairfax County Police:   703-691-2131 

Prince William County:  703-792-6500

Stafford County:  540-658-4400

You can also download the Commonwealth of Virginia's Ready Virginia App for iPhone and Android by following this link:

Ready Virginia App





TOWN HALL CHANGES

  With the impending blizzard, my colleagues and I have rescheduled our Mount Vernon and Lee District Town Halls.

Lee District Town Hall
Saturday, February 20th, 2016

9:30 - 11:30am
Hayfield Elementary School
7633 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315

Mount Vernon Town Hall
Saturday, February 20th, 2016

12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Walt Whitman Middle School

2500 Parkers Lane

Alexandria, VA 22306

As previously mentioned, stay warm, be prepared and stay alert. If you have any prolonged outages or if your street is blocked, feel free to contact my office at 571.249.4484 or email me at district36@senate.virginia.gov.