WASHINGTON — The snowstorm that paralyzed the D.C. region in January a couple of days before the blizzard swept through is offering lessons to area officials on how to respond to what might come next winter.
On behalf of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Emergency Preparedness Council reviewed the Jan. 20 rush hour storm that paralyzed the region, ambushing the area with little notice two days before a massive blizzard was forecast.
The council’s review suggested that officials could to do a better job of informing commuters about weather events that happen with short notice or no notice at all, or that deteriorate rapidly.
“A lot of people … they hop in their car, they’re on the Metro, they’re listening to music or whatever — they’re not necessarily listening to news reports,” said Stuart Freudberg, executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
“People are a lot better with social media and better tools, [but] of course we don’t want them texting and driving,” Freudberg said.
The council also recommended that officials send a unified message about how people should respond — like sheltering in place, for example.
The January storm had major impact the area due, in part, to a fluctuating forecast that predicted only possible snow showers.
“No real accumulation, nothing unusual and 20 percent [probability] is almost like nothing,” Freudberg said. “We talked to the weather service and they’re going to work to better convey the risk related to these low probability storms — especially when we have very cold road temperatures.”
The full report is available at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments website.
