damage

Condo’s Elevator Shaft Damaged by Quake

By ARLnow.com

Drive around Arlington and you’ll be hard-pressed to find much “earthquake damage.” But perhaps the most significant damage in Arlington from yesterday’s quake happened inside a building.

The quake reportedly damaged the elevator shaft at the Columbia Knoll condominium building at 5111 8th Road S. in Columbia Heights West. The building’s two main elevators were cordoned off last night and the county Fire Marshal was on the scene to assess the damage.

Other than the damaged elevator shaft, however, no other major structural damage has been reported in Arlington.

High Winds Cause Havoc Across Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Numerous reports of downed power lines, toppled trees, dislodged traffic signs and blowing debris are coming in.

Among the reports we’re following right now:

  • Downed power line on Four Mile Run Drive at George Mason Drive. Traffic is being diverted. Dominion is on the scene.
  • Large tree down at 3700 North Harrison Street
  • Awnings dislodged and glass broken at 3100 Clarendon Boulevard
  • Compromised roof at 1300 South Arlington Ridge Road
  • Updated at 5:05 pm. — Large tree down at 17th Street and North Utah Street
  • Updated at 5:05 pm. — Wires down at 23rd Street North and George Mason Drive
  • Updated at 5:05 pm. — Tree down at George Mason Drive and Four Mile Run Drive
  • Updated at 5:05 pm. — Dominion is reporting 1,368 customers without power in Arlington
  • Updated at 5:10 pm. — Wires down at 18th Street and South Edgewood Street

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Be Careful Commuting This Morning — A thunderstorm packing driving rain and high winds swept through the area overnight, causing trees and power lines to fall and coating local sidewalks and roadways with wet leaves. The leaves could make for slick conditions for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers alike this morning. More on the storm damage, including this morning’s closure of George Mason Drive, here.

Whitlow’s Hopes to Open Rooftop Deck by Thanksgiving — Whitlow’s owner Greg Cahill tells TBD that he hopes to have his new rooftop bar, Wilson’s on Whitlow’s, open in one or two weeks. Cahill is working hard to open in time for Thanksgiving eve, traditionally one of the busiest nights for bars. Bring your coat.

Meet Arlington’s County Manager — Barbara Donnellan, Arlington’s (relatively) new county manager, will participate in a public forum with the local League of Women Voters tonight. Donnellan “will speak about challenges facing the County and her plans for the County’s future,” according to an invitation. The forum will be held from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the third-floor county board room at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

Reader: Last Week’s Storms Sent Newspaper Boxes Flying

By ARLnow.com

 

Seeing the storm damage in D.C. and Montgomery County this morning brought back memories of the storms that ripped through Arlington and Alexandria one week ago.

One storm-related incident in particular still has people talking a week later — the parking lot full of cars with blown-out windows at the Shirlington Bus Station.

How exactly did it happen? Nobody seems to know for sure. But one reader recently sent us this dramatic account of what she saw as the storm rolled through Shirlington.

Just as FYI – it was closer to 20 vehicles that had the glass blown out of their vehicles, not 6. And the storm took out their back glass, side windows and in some cases even the windshields… Working in the ANSER bldg across from the bus stop – employees watched as the trash cans and paper vending machines were swirled up as high as the 5th floor – then dropped like lead weights back to the ground.

The straight line winds in Shirlington were at around 70 miles per hour.

Car Windows Smashed in Shirlington: Storm Damage or Vandalism?

By ARLnow.com

At least a half dozen cars had windows shattered in the parking lot of the Shirlington Bus Station Thursday afternoon. It’s unclear whether the breakage was the result of a brazen daytime vandalism or whether it was caused by the strong storms that split trees in half just blocks away from the station.

In some cases the glass appeared to have exploded outward in small pieces, which does not seem like a likely pattern for vandalism. On the other hand, some cars seemed to escape the damage and the large glass panes in the bus station appeared intact.

The bus station is at the bottom of a long hill that leads up to Fairlington, the Arlington neighborhood hardest hit by the storms.

A police spokesperson did not have any information about the shattered glass.

One theory is that the storm brought with it a sudden, violent change in air pressure that caused the windows to “explode.” If you have any other theories as to what happened, we’re all ears.

1/6

Hard-Hit Fairlington Cleans Up

By ARLnow.com

As chainsaws buzzed, residents walked the streets of Fairlington tonight, surveying the damage from this afternoon’s wicked storms. At least 40-50 trees were down in the area, according to Arlington County spokesperson Diana Sun.

Fairlington appears to be Arlington’s hardest-hit neighborhood. It was hard to find an older tree without large branches missing. It was hard to find a block without at least one car damaged.

Much of the area was still without electricity four hours after the storm, but the outages were spotty — some of the neighborhood’s garden apartment buildings had power while others across the street were dark.

Almost a dozen people gathered near Fort Reynolds Park, where a line of utility poles had split in half and fallen to the ground. A car with a Dominion logo on the side briefly parked nearby, then drove off ten minutes later.

Resident Bill Nesper said the storm brought back memories of living on the east coast of Florida during Hurricane Andrew.

“I looked outside and it looked like a hurricane,” he said. “The rain was going sideways… there were tree limbs everywhere.”

Nesper said the damage was caused so suddenly that “it must have been a quick set of wind gusts that did it.”

Nesper’s neighbor, who had two cars damaged by falling tree limbs in the storm, said the damage was close to the destruction Hurricane Isabel caused in Richmond, where he had been working as a police officer at the time.

One resident said training from her time in a war zone came in handy during the storm.

“I didn’t go near the window… having been in a war zone they said don’t get near the windows,” she said. “It was so black and dark… I almost went into the closet.”

1/15

Severe Thunderstorm Updates

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:45 p.m. — Reports of power outages, trees down and lights on flash around the area. Lights at Clarendon Blvd and Fillmore St and Wilson Blvd and Highland St are flashing.

Update at 4:10 p.m. — The traffic lights at Route 50 and Glebe Road are dark. A wall collapsed in Shirlington as a result of the storm, no injuries. Major backups on South I-395 right now.

Update at 4:15 p.m. — Traffic lights dark at South Joyce St and Army Navy Drive, and on Columbia Pike up to South Scott St. Accident reported at Wilson Blvd and Patrick Henry Drive. Tree down on car on GW Parkway near Marina Drive, two people trapped. Major backups reported on southbound GW Parkway.

Update at 4:20 p.m. — About 11,500 Dominion customers are without power in Arlington. Several county government offices are without power.

Update at 4:40 p.m. — Power flickering on the eastern end of Columbia Pike. Power pole sparking at 10th and Wilson Blvd in Clarendon (h/t @NewsCat_in_DC)

Update at 4:50 p.m. — Lots of trees and wires down reported in the Shirlington area. Tree down on wires at S. Randolph Street and 19th Street.

Firefighters are freeing people from elevators that became stuck as a result of power outages.

Heavy traffic reported on GW Parkway, I-395 and Route 1. Most VDOT traffic cameras in the area are down.

Update at 4:55 p.m. — I-395 is “a parking lot,” avoid at all costs. A county employee is reported to have fell and broke his leg at the county impound lot — possibly storm-related.

Update at 5:00 p.m. — More storms approaching from the west, not as severe as the previous batch (h/t @capitalweather).

NBC4 is reporting a 66 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in Arlington during the storm. NBC4’s Veronica Johnson says the storm cell that moved through Arlington might have produced a tornado in Prince George’s County.

Update at 5:10 p.m. — More than 10,500 Dominion customers still without power.

We’re hearing that both victims in the vehicle that was struck by a tree on the GW Parkway have been extricated from the vehicle. They may not have been trapped, but rescuers were worried about the consequences if they tried to get out before the tree was secured.

Update at 5:25 p.m. — Arlington County’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated. Power outages in Arlington back above 11,500. Heavy damage, including multiple trees down reported at 32nd Street and Stafford Street in Fairlington.

Update at 5:45 p.m. — Extremely heavy traffic throughout the area, including on secondary roads. South Eads Street, Ridge Road, Crystal Drive, eastern end of Columbia Pike all heavy. Parking lot on Route 1. Major delays reported on Blue, Yellow lines.

Update at 5:50 p.m. — Large tree fell onto house on the 2700 block of South Cleveland Street, police report. Structural damage suspected.

Update at 5:55 p.m. — Calling it right now: worst region-wide traffic since the ice storm two years ago.

Update at 6:05 p.m. — The northbound GW Parkway has reopened, but the southbound lanes will remain closed for “a few hours,” Park Police spokesperson tells WTOP.

Update at 6:55 p.m. — More than 12,000 Dominion customers are still without power in Arlington.

Update at 7:10 p.m. — All of Shirlington Village appears to be without power.

Update at 7:25 p.m. — Various news outlets report very heavy damage in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. Close to areas reporting heavy damage in south Arlington.

Update at 8:40 p.m. — There are still calls coming in for people stuck in elevators. Not clear if they’re storm-related. Traffic still slow on southbound I-395 near Shirlington.

Update at 8:55 p.m. — More than 11,500 still without power.

1/8

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The $150,000 Soccer Ball

By ARLnow.com

Q: What’s round, inflated and costing an insurance company $150,000?

A: The soccer ball that hit a sprinkler in a Washington-Lee High School hallway and ruined the brand new gym.

The Washington Examiner has the story of how the insurance company is trying to recover damages from the parents of the kid who kicked the ball.

Car Crashes Into Rhodeside Grill

By ARLnow.com

A two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and North Rhodes Street resulted in one of the cars crashing into the front of Rhodeside Grill.

The impact shattered one of the restaurant’s plate glass windows and destroyed a planter. Shards of glass and soil from the planter could be seen scattered across part of the restaurant.

Airbags deployed in both vehicles — a red Honda Accord and a black Volkswagen New Beetle. The Accord narrowly missed a fire hydrant as is careened into the building.

No one inside the building or in the cars were hurt, police said.

Six customers were inside the restaurant at time the time of the incident — around 11:45 a.m. It was “loud and hectic,” a Rhodeside employee said.

The restaurant remained open for lunch. They expect to replace the window later today.