Blizzard 2016: 'Stay Off the Streets,' DC Mayor Says

PHOTO: Street camera shows Key Bridge and M Street Saturday morning

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WASHINGTON, DC -- The mayor of the District of Columbia has a message to residents Saturday: “Stay off the streets.” The District has seen 13 inches of snow fall since Friday at 1 p.m., she said, and is expecting about another 10 inches of snow.

It was a mantra she repeated several times during a Saturday morning news conference updating residents about the City’s response to the blizzard that has hit the nation’s capital.

The mayor said she saw, on her way to her news conference Saturday morning, people walking in the middle of the streets and driving on snowy roads that road crews are trying to clear. “We need the public to listen: Stay home and stay off the streets,” she said.

“Our plows and emergency vehicles cannot do their jobs if people are on the streets,” she said. “The visibility is poor and you cannot be seen.” Crews are working 12-hour shifts, she said.

DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that police are helping people dig out of stuck cars. “So far, officers have made good response times on all their calls.” DC Police have humvees available if needed from the National Guard, she said.

Clean-up efforts will begin in earnest once the snow stops falling and blowing; DC is seeing wind gusts of about 25 MPH Saturday.

No power outages have been reported so far in the District, she noted.