Snow Continues, We're Working on Relief
Today my Richmond office has been consumed with calls from constituents trying to dig out from the storm. There is no doubt that central Fairfax -- which is mostly single-family residential homes inside suburban subdivisions -- has been absolutely battered by the snow storm. And the key roads are almost all state-owned.
Without VDOT plows, about 90% of my constituents cannot go to work, to the doctor or to the grocery store. Even those citizens in Fairfax City and Town of Vienna, which have locally-owned streets, must rely on state highways.
The 30+ inches we got thru Sunday has not yet been cleared in most neigborhoods. And now there's more to come?
Today I spoke on the floor of the Senate about this impending disaster. I've also been talking around-the-clock with the VDOT superivsors (who have been great at returning our calls -- hopefully their trucks are responding to each request).
Here are the 3 main points:
1. It is great to see neighbors helping neighbors. I can't share enough good stories about folks that have helped out by shoveling snow or making deliveries in a 4-wheel drive. Please continue to check on your neighbors.
2. We need more plows in NOVA. From talking to VDOT, they have 2,000 trucks or bulldozers out there (many coming up from points south). A lot of them are removing snow -- 500,000 tons removed as of yesterday. But we also need plows, especially on the residential streets. If you have 4 wheel drive and a plow, we need you in Fairfax County.
3. The necessity of state action underlines on of the central purposes of our state government, i.e. maintaining a state highway system. Private contractors are great but only a state can respond with the size and scale demanded by this blizzard. We must have a work force at VDOT which can react to these situations.
This storm has come at a really tough time. But it's reminded us that we are all only a short step away from living on the edge, unless we can count on each other.
Senator,
Doing all the good stuff. Hats off to the City of Fairfax who have really risen to the occasion. I would also like to thank all the folks at Giant Food at Jermantown and Rt. 50 for just showing up to work. Good Job!
In an instant world, it's hard to get people to understand the magnitude of the situation. It also says something about how people perceive their relationship to their jobs and their interaction with their supervisors. This world needs a big "chill pill."
It will be interesting to see the reaction to your assertion that VDOT needs more resources. I'm looking out for the "Anti-Government" radicals who will shout you down for wanting to "grow government out-of-control."
However, it might be interesting to try a different approach. Why not create a "Civilian Volunteer Service Corp." to augment VDOT operations. I for one, would be more than happy to learn to drive a plow and take a shift. I'll bet a lot of Virginians would. I would however, put a GPS tracking system on the trucks to make sure that the volunteers weren't making money by doing a little private plowing on the side.
Oak Valley Drive (in Oakton) was two lanes plowed by Saturday PM. Two lane are sufficient and the VDOT plows should now focus on the unplowed streets. Further plowing on Oak Valley will replug our driveways with very heavy snow and ice making egress impossible. The important thing is to have access to the primary roads, a single lane will do for now.
Brian: That's a really good idea. Of course, at this point I think we have all vehicles "in the field" so I'm not sure what would be left to operate. On a side note, I don't mind having some "for pay" operators out there too. I'm sure a lot of folks just want to see the streets cleared.
Chap,
My mom's house at Robin Ridge Rd and Ct are plowed down to pavement. I'm thankful for the job that VDOT is doing. I don't know what is going on at Farm House lane, but at Robin Ridge Ct we are okay. Your office staff is really great. Please thank them for me. They have a tough job.
Thank you Alex for the kind comment. Excellent to hear. I'll pass that along to Kathy and the folks in my shop.