Problems persist as Prince George's digs out from record snowstorm
Power returns for many, residents asked to stay off roads
The blizzard of 2010 may be over, but Prince George's County officials continue to advise residents to stay off roads as crews dig out from one of the region's worst snowstorms in recorded history.
The storm blanketed parts of the county with as much as 30 inches of snow Friday and Saturday, leaving thousands of residents without electricity and hundreds of thousands stuck in their homes. Today, officials continue around-the-clock efforts to restore power and clear roads.
"We plowed all day yesterday and into the night," said county Department of Public Works and Transportation spokeswoman Susan Hubbard. "They will continue around the clock until this is all cleaned up."
While some roads are now passable, Hubbard discouraged residents from driving until local states of emergency are lifted. She added that as plow drivers continue to work, the mere presence of motorists on roads can make their jobs more difficult.
"People were still out and they were still driving [Saturday], and trucks can't maneuver around the people," Hubbard said. "There's no reason that anybody should be going anywhere."
While there have been numerous minor crashes and stranded vehicles since Friday afternoon, none in the county have resulted in serious injuries or fatalities, said Mark Brady, a county fire/EMS department spokesman.
Fire officials received about 750 emergency calls Saturday about twice as many they'd normally handle but most were to report damaged power lines, injuries from snow play or shoveling and women going into labor.
"They had two pregnant females in the same ambulance," Brady said, describing a scene Saturday where an expectant Oxon Hill woman was being transported to a hospital in an ambulance, which was then flagged down by a man whose wife had also gone into labor.
Conditions have varied from area to area, as some residents remain snowed in while others have returned to their routines. College Park resident Morgan Gale said he never lost power during the storm and was even able to open his restaurant, Kiyoko Express in College Park, on Saturday and Sunday.
A few miles south in College Heights Estates, resident Rafael Lorente said he was without electricity from Saturday morning to late Saturday night and that many of the neighborhood's trees were damaged in the storm.
"A lot of limbs are down, and now it's cold, so all these limbs will freeze and break off," he said. "Other than that, everything's fine."
Pepco officials estimated at 9 a.m. Sunday that about 4,000 of their county properties remain without power, after the number of outages peaked at about 10,000 Saturday. BGE estimated less than 2,000 of its properties were powerless Sunday morning, after there were about 5,000 outages the day before.
"We are still assessing the damage of the system," said Pepco spokesman Andre Francis. "Because the roads are that bad, we haven't been able to get everywhere that we need to."
Pepco customers who experience power outages should call 1-877-737-2662. BGE customers should call 1-877-778-2222.