Ahead of Friday’s snowstorm, the second of the week across the D.C. region, Warnique West didn’t get a lot of sleep. She had a meeting at 1:30 a.m. and at least two more even before noon.
Sometimes, residents and workers don’t see the work that West and hundreds of others at D.C.’s Department of Public Works do to keep the roads safe before, during and after a storm, she said.
Well before salt trucks are loaded and roads are treated, West is paying close attention to the forecast. She’s looking at weather patterns weeks in advance. And five days before a weather event, West participates in more meetings, those with other members of the city’s snow team, to prepare.
She knows there’s a lot on the line, but her decadeslong career with the agency has prepared her to make critical decisions. West started with the agency in November of 2001 as a temporary leaf season employee.
But since then, she’s become a front-line supervisor, manager of front line supervisors and emergency planning officer. And now, West is the city’s first female snow coordinator, a role she’s confident in because she’s done many of the jobs her colleagues hold.
“The weather man can be off a little bit or on a little bit,” West said. “They can say we’re going to have 3 to 4 inches, or we’re going to have 1 inch. I have to have the institutional knowledge to make the correct judgment call on what type of deployment we need.”
West considers the forecast’s uncertainty the hardest part of her job, but she works to overcome it with aggressive preparation. In addition to watching the forecast, West regularly communicates with employees, works with vendors and makes sure there’s enough salt at the salt domes.
Teams work in 12-hour shifts, she said, but that can vary depending on the amount and type of snow.
Despite the prep work, West said weather and emergencies keep her on edge.
“Some people just see DPW as, you do snow, or you maybe see trash,” West said. “With anything that’s happened, if you’re not calling MPD or the fire department, you’re calling DPW.”
West said she only spends about 30% of her time at her desk, preferring to work in the field and build relationships.
“Sometimes (staff) want to come talk to me personally,” West said. “I want to be there for them to show that, ‘Hey, I care about you.'”
The director of D.C.’s Department of Parks and Recreation gave West the nickname “Snow Queen,” and West said it’s stuck. Now, after WTOP’s news partner 7News profiled West, she’s getting recognized in public.
“I’ve been getting a lot of recognition for it, and appreciation for what I do,” West said.
West also worries about her staff members, because: “This is a dangerous job,” she said.
“We’re out in the street all the time,” West said. “Cars are moving fast. Sometimes, people see us working, whether it’s on the highway working or on the street. People don’t quite necessarily slow down because they see these fluorescent uniforms.”
Keeping the city safe is also personal for her.
“I was born and raised in D.C.,” West said. “I love my city. To be able to be a public servant of my city is one of the proudest things that I do, because not only am I making sure that the roads of the District are safe for the citizens, but also for my family.”
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