hurricane

Photos: Hurricane Damage Around Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington residents woke up this morning to power outages and scores of downed trees and tree branches, thanks to the high winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Irene.

“It’s just terrible,” said County Board member Walter Tejada as he toured some of the worst scenes of destruction around the county with Acting County Manager Marsha Allgeier and Deputy Police Chief Michael Dunne. While many areas escaped with just a few downed tree limbs, some areas remain blocked and without power due to large trees that fell across roads and power lines.

County and private tree crews, along with crews from Dominion Power, have been working around the clock to clear debris and get power lines back up. As of 3:25 p.m., more than 4,800 Dominion customers were still without power in Arlington.

Arlington County has posted additional damage photos on a dedicated Flickr page.

1/18

Irene’s Winds Bring Down Trees, Knock Out Power

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 12:25 p.m.) Tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Irene, combined with a steady, soaking rain, brought down at least 75 trees throughout Arlington last night, completely or partially blocking at least 35 streets, authorities said.

The falling trees blocked main roads, like Columbia Pike and westbound I-66, and knocked out power to various parts of the county. The 100 block of N. Liberty Street, Rock Spring Road and N. Wakefield Street, N. Quantico and N. 18th Street and N. Edison and Little Falls Road all remain blocked this afternoon, according to authorities and residents. County crews with chainsaws are helping to remove fallen trees and tree limbs from the roadway.

Some trees fell onto power lines and the roofs of houses, courtesy of wind gusts up to 59 miles per hour. A tree also fell onto the Blue Line tracks near Arlington National Cemetery, forcing Metro trains to single-track through the area.

Dominion was reporting more than 14,000 customers without power in Arlington as of 6:00 a.m. Numerous traffic lights were either dark or flashing as power flickered in many parts of the county overnight. The number of reported power outages dropped to just below 8,000 by noon on Sunday.

So far, only one minor storm-related injuries has been reported, according to Arlington County spokeswoman Jennifer K. Smith.

Hurricane Irene: What to Expect

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6:20 p.m. — The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Arlington County. Heavy rains are causing ponding on roadways and producing the risk of dangerous flooding, especially in low-lying areas.

From Arlington County:

What to expect in Arlington from Irene: A Tropical Storm Warning and Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Arlington County.

  • Rain bands from the hurricane will start hitting this area in the early to mid-afternoon.
  • Heavy rain, winds will start at around 6 p.m.
  • Heaviest rain and winds between 8 pm Sat. and 2 am Sun.
  • During this period we will likely experience sustained winds of up to 40 MPH, gusts between 40 and 50 MPH.
  • 2-4 inches of total rain expected, with higher amounts further east.
  • Due to ground saturation and winds, we are likely to experience some downed trees.

The county has rolled out a live “Arlington Irene-cam” for residents to watch the effects of the storm outside the county office building at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard in Courthouse.

Important Phone Numbers During the Storm

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County has released a list of important phone numbers for residents during Hurricane Irene.

  • POWER OUTAGES: Dominion Virginia Power 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357)
  • NATURAL GAS EMERGENCIES: Washington Gas 703-750-1400 or 800-752-7520. If you smell gas, leave and call 9-1-1.
  • TREES DOWN: 703-228-6525
  • STREET FLOODING, water, sewer and storm-sewer: 703-228-6555
  • TRAFFIC SIGNAL OUTAGES: 703-228-6511

Arlington Declares Local Emergency

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:20 a.m. on 8/27/2011 — An Arlington County spokeswoman says the county is not distributing sandbags, despite information provided to ARLnow.com yesterday.

Arlington County has declared a local emergency in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

Today, Acting County Manager Marsha Allgeier has signed a Declaration of Local Emergency for Arlington County in response to Hurricane Irene. The declaration was made because Hurricane Irene is a powerful storm with potentially damaging winds, rainfall, and storm surge that could cause flooding and other hazardous conditions in Arlington.

This declaration provides for increased coordination with state resources, and provides increased administrative authority permitting the County to take necessary actions to prepare for and respond to the storm. At this time, the County reminds residents to be prepared. For emergency preparedness information, storm updates, and information on cancellations and closings, visit the County website.

All county facilities — including libraries and community centers — will close at noon on Saturday and remain shuttered through Sunday. Artisphere will be closed all day Saturday. The lobby of the Arlington County jail will be open as a shelter of last resort for homeless individuals.

An emergency exercise scheduled to take place at Pentagon City mall on Sunday morning, meanwhile, has been canceled. In addition, the Columbia Pike outdoor movie scheduled for Saturday night, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8:00 p.m. Also, we’re told that tomorrow morning’s Courthouse farmers market will be reduced in scope, as 14th Street and part of the county surface parking, where the market is held, will be reserved for emergency vehicle parking.

Spotted: Earthquake Damage in N. Arlington

By ARLnow.com

We spotted some apparent earthquake damage in the Country Club Manor section of N. Arlington that may be at risk of getting worse if winds from Hurricane Irene are high enough.

The chimney of a stately brick house suffered significant structural damage near the top of the home’s roof after Tuesday’s quake. No word on whether it will be repaired or secured by Saturday evening, when the effects of the hurricane are expected to be felt in the metro D.C. area.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Storm Shopping Clears Shelves — Residents are taking the advice of emergency officials and shopping for essential items in advance of Hurricane Irene. At the Potomac Yard Target store last night, shopping carts were at a premium, milk was running low and bottled water was completely sold out.

Two Candidates Challenge Brink — Del. Bob Brink will have to work a bit harder to keep his 48th District House of Delegates seat. Brink is facing general election challenges from Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy and from McLean resident Kathleen Gillette Mallard, who has ties to the Tea Party. [Sun Gazette]

Major Crystal City Employer Purchased — Bloomberg LP has purchased the Bureau of National Affairs, a specialized industry reporting outfit headquartered in Crystal City. Bloomberg says it plans to run BNA, which has more than 600 employees, as a “stand-alone subsidiary.” [Washington Post]

Office of Emergency Management Video — Rest assured that Arlington County is ready for Hurricane Irene. But be a bit worried about the county’s ability to properly operate a video camera. [YouTube]

Fairfax Times Rips Off ARLnow.com Quote — The Washington Post-owned Fairfax Times has copied, verbatim, a quote from an ARLnow.com article on the 31st District state Senate primary without proper attribution. The quote from Betsy Wildhack only appeared on ARLnow.com — we were the only news outlet there at the time — but yet now appears at the end of a Fairfax Times article without any sort of credit or acknowledgement.

Metro Prepares for Hurricane Irene

By ARLnow.com

Metro is preparing for the flooding and wind damage that may accompany the weekend arrival of Hurricane Irene.

The agency says it is calling in additional support personnel, who will be “on duty throughout the weekend to respond to any situations that may arise.”

WMATA is supplying chain saws to Metro drivers, “for use in the event of downed trees.” Metrobuses and MetroAccess vehicles may be detoured around fallen trees and flooded areas, as necessary. Metro is also checking all drainage pumps and clearing out debris from drainage areas near Metro stations.

“Supervisors will monitor critical locations, such as bus garages, parking garages, and flood-prone areas throughout the weekend,” Metro said in a press release.

Metro has placed more than 2,000 sandbags around the escalators of Metrorail stations that have a history of flooding, including the Foggy Bottom and King Street stations. None of the listed stations are in Arlington.

“We’re putting all of our resources in place to address any issues that arise out of the extreme weather conditions this weekend,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles. “We will be updating our customers through our website, Twitter, email alerts and the media.”

See our earlier post on Arlington County’s hurricane preparations here.

Arlington County Prepares for Hurricane Irene

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:55 a.m. — Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has declared a state of emergency in advance of the hurricane.

Arlington County is bracing for impacts from Hurricane Irene.

Irene, which is expected to be the strongest hurricane to hit the Northeast in decades, could bring torrential rains and high winds to the Mid-Atlantic region Saturday night and throughout the day on Sunday. In anticipation of the storm, the county is “mobilizing both people and equipment,” according to Jack Brown, Director of Emergency Management for Arlington County.

The police, fire and parks departments will be bringing in additional personnel this weekend, Brown told ARLnow.com. The county’s 911 call center will also have additional employees on hand, and the Office of Emergency Management will be staffed throughout the weekend.

County crews are cleaning out drains to ensure the expected heavy rains will be able to flow into storm sewers. The parks department is removing picnic tables and other equipment from areas near streams and river beds, in anticipation of flooding. The county is also “developing plans for shelters, if the need arises,” according to Brown.

The county and Dominion Power both say they’re preparing for downed trees and power lines in the hurricane’s wake. The county has backup communications systems — including satellite phones and amateur radio stations — in case cell phones or existing radio systems go down during the storm.

“It could be challenging, yes, but since 9/11 a lot of steps have been taken to ensure better communications,” Brown said.

Most importantly, says Brown, Arlington is working to get information about hurricane preparedness out to the public.

“The first concern is the public safety,” he said. “If we do have impacts from this storm, people need to be prepared for that… It’s all about personal and family preparedness.”

Brown said any sort of evacuation of Arlington looks unlikely at this point. In fact, he’s encouraging people to stay at home.

“In most cases, people are better off just staying home and hunkering down,” Brown advised. “Don’t go out on the road… just have enough food and supplies to weather the storm.”

“We don’t want people out in the middle of a crisis getting in the way,” he added.

Additional hurricane preparedness tips can be found from FEMA, the National Hurricane Center and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.