Thank you for your continued patience while we work on cleaning up the aftermath of the blizzard.  This storm has been historic in nature and with both the Federal Government and the Loudoun County Government closing offices again today, they are setting the expectation that this storm will take several more days to dig out from the tremendous amounts of snowfall.

HOA crews worked through the night and teams are still hard at work today.  Crews are currently dispatched in three teams and will continue to circulate to clear the HOA roads. In some cases, our plows have tried to access streets to clear additional lanes, but there are vehicles parked in the way and they cannot get the equipment safely in to clear the snow. They will move on to the next section and come back later in the hopes that vehicles have moved out of their paths. Please be aware that plows may block driveways with snow. With the volume of snowfall, this is an unintended consequence of clearing the roadways. We apologize for this inconvenience, but to make as many roads passable as quickly as possible, there is no way to avoid it.

VDOT does not have an ETA for making their secondary roads passable, but they are working diligently to do so. If you have a concern with a VDOT road, please check their website and contact them directly www.vdotplows.org.

The simple reality is  that one section will be first and one section will be the last to get cleared.  Not all roads can be made passable at once, and no one section takes priority over another, but all of the crews will continue to work until the roads are as clear as possible.

Supervisor Matt Letourneau provided perhaps the most in depth information regarding snow cleanup in his facebook post early Tuesday morning… https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=890273764418560&id=156558014456809.

To determine if you live on an HOA or VDOT street, please click HERE>>

Loudoun County Press Releases:

Leesburg Officials Ask for Patience as Snow Recovery Efforts Continue

Randall, along with Leesburg Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and Virginia Department of Transportation representative Jennifer McCord, urged residents to continue to stay off the roads to allow snow removal crews room to clear the roads.

McCord said VDOT’s goal is to make one lane of all subdivisions passable by 6:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 27, 2016. If residents do not have one passable lane by 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, they can contact VDOT at 1-800-FOR-ROAD or novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov . Randall added that if residents continue to have access issues, they can contact their district representative on the Board of Supervisors. Contact information for the Board is online at www.loudoun.gov/bos. Burk said the town of Leesburg’s “number one priority is getting access to all the residents.” Leesburg’s Director of Public Works and Capital Projects Renée LaFollette said the town’s goal is to have at least one path plowed on each residential street by 7:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Randall said county crews are working to clear sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and entry ways to county government facilities in an effort to reopen those facilities as quickly as possible.

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman and Combined Fire-Rescue System Chief Keith Brower addressed public safety issues. Chapman thanked residents for heeding the call of emergency personnel to stay home during and after the storm. Chapman said his office responded to more than 250 disabled motorists over the past few days, 60 abandoned vehicles, and 40 weather-related crashes.  Brower said his staff has responded to about 550 incidents since Friday, which is about double the normal number of incidents.

Brower called on the public to continue helping firefighters by clearing a three-foot radius around fire hydrants, including residents of western Loudoun where there are dry hydrants. He also reminded residents to work in small increments when shoveling snow, as it can cause great exertion on the body and lead to cardiac arrest. He reminded residents if they are suffering a medical emergency, do not delay and call 911 immediately.

Also attending the news conference were: Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman and Ashburn District Supervisor Ralph Buona, Broad Run District Supervisor Ron Meyer, Leesburg District Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, Leesburg Council Members Tom Dunn and Suzanne Fox, Town Manager Kaj Dentler and Chief of Police Joe Price.

Loudoun County continues to provide updates on the effects of the storm at http://www.loudoun.gov and Facebook and Twitter.

After the Storm: Loudoun County Urges Residents to Stay Safe

As conditions slowly improve in Loudoun following the monumental snow storm, residents are encouraged to keep several things in mind today:

Travel

• Avoid driving to give crews from the Virginia Department of Transportation room for snow removal efforts. VDOT crews are making progress, but snow removal with heavy equipment is a slow process. Crews continue to work around the clock, to plow and treat all roads.
• If travel is a must, use extreme caution as even clear pavement is likely to be slick due to snow melting during the day and refreezing overnight.
• In addition to the overnight refreeze, drivers should be alert to varying conditions and sudden changes on all roads. There may be limited visibility from high snow mounds encroaching on merges, intersections, and ramps. Lanes may be narrow and shift unexpectedly. Watch out for pedestrians and oncoming traffic.
• On ramps and merge areas are not fully plowed, making merging into traffic difficult and often requiring a full stop.
• Pedestrians should also heed the warning to stay off roadways. Do not walk in the middle of streets with traffic.
• Check www.511virginia.org for the latest on road conditions.

Melting Snow/Falling Objects

• Be aware of falling objects. As the temperature rises today, large amounts of snow or icicles may fall from roofs.
• Clear downspouts at ground level. As the snow begins to melt, it needs someplace to go. Do not climb on your roof to remove the snow or ice.

Standing Water

• With the weather forecast calling for temperatures above freezing and a chance of showers, standing water becomes a possibility. Take steps to prevent standing water from becoming an ice hazard.