Blizzard 2016: Saturday Update for Alexandria

PHOTO: The 3200 block of Duke Street is closed Saturday for a water main break. Photo courtesy of Alexandria Police Department

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ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Here’s what is happening Saturday during the blizzard in Alexandria, according to City spokesman Craig Fifer:

• Fire: Alexandria Fire Department crews were on the scene of a residential fire on Kenmore Avenue Saturday morning, when a fire started in a trash chute in an apartment building; the City reminds anyone getting out to shovel to please clear a 3-foot perimeter around nearby fire hydrants.
• Water main break: There is a water main break at 3200 Duke Street (see map below). It’s uncertain how it’s impacting water service to any residents or businesses. “We arrived on scene this morning around 7 a.m.,” said Samantha Villegas, spokeswoman for Virginia American Water. “Everything will take longer than normal due to the storm conditions. First priority is finding the right valve to shut water off so the City can make the road passable for plows. I am waiting on an update to see if that’s happened. The break, we believe, is on the south side of Duke and there are a couple of small businesses in the immediate vicinity who would be affected when we turn the valve off. We did call Miss Utility (the state agency that marks utility lines so we can dig). No word on their arrival yet. Once they arrive and mark lines, digging will be slow. So we’re in wait mode now.”
• Customer service line is staffed Saturday at 703.746.HELP (4357). During off hours, the number accepts messages. “So far, we have only received five messages and four were requests for help shoveling driveways,” said Fifer. “The City does not have the capacity to clear private property, so we ask everyone to check on neighbors who may need help.” (DC started neighborhood shovel brigades this year, handing out shovels to volunteers who signed up to shovel in their neighborhoods.)
• Roads: 70 snow trucks are in operation Saturday and are doing their best to keep up with snowfall, it is still very dangerous to drive and we urge everyone to stay indoors and off the roads,” Fifer said. Crews are working 12 hours shifts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and also crews that work from 12 noon to midnight and midnight to 12 noon. “We put flyers on the windshields of vehicles on snow emergency routes,” Fifer said, “and we did 12,000 automated phone calls to numbers along the routes, but some vehicles were not moved. We did have to tow some vehicles to the impound lot.”
• Snow: The National Weather Service in Sterling said Saturday morning that Alexandria has seen about 16 inches of snow, with snow continuing to fall throughout the day and tapering off Saturday night. Winds are blowing, hampering efforts to clear roadways.
• Neighbors: The City asks that anyone who can please check on neighbors who may need help with food, heat, snow removal, or just companionship. “It takes a village to ride out a storm,” the City noted on its Facebook page.