Video: Inside Arlington’s Storm Response
Arlington County activated its Emergency Operations Center in the wake of Friday’s derecho.
A new video posted by the county’s Arlington Virginia Network shows a behind-the-scenes view from inside the EOC during the storm recovery effort.
Power Restoration Nearly Complete in Arlington
A week after the powerful storms that left 68,000 Dominion customers in the dark in Arlington, all but four dozen have had their power restored.
As of 2:00 this (Friday) afternoon, 48 Dominion customers were without power. The company says that it expects all known power outages in the area to be restored by later tonight. According to Arlington officials, all county traffic signals are now functioning. Some 96 traffic signals were knocked out by Friday’s storms, largely due to power outages.
In a press release, the county noted that one of Arlington’s most historic trees was a victim of the storms. The Revolutionary War-era Post Oak (pictured), in the Westover area, is set to be cut down due to wind damage.
“On Monday, County crews plan to remove the ancient Post Oak, believed to be the oldest tree in Arlington and perhaps in the Commonwealth, that was severely damaged during the storm,” the county said.
Dominion and Arlington County crews are continuing to clear downed trees, power lines and debris from around the county. As of this afternoon, 10 county roads are still completely blocked. Arlington officials released the following statement about the continued clean-up efforts.
The County’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation continues to clear partially and completely blocked roads of debris and downed trees. Operations have been complicated by piles of debris unavoidably pushed into some roads during clearing operations by County crews, utility companies and residents. The County’s priority, in clearing debris, is to make it possible for residents, emergency equipment and utility companies to use the streets. We also clear County buildings, sidewalks along heavily traveled roads, and “safety zones” around high-use recreational facilities, such as parks. Once all these priorities are met, crews focus on the clean-up phase.
Five Dept. of Parks and Recreation crews continue to work solely on road-clearing operations, and will continue through the weekend. … The County’s Solid Waste Bureau Earth Products Recycling Yard, located at 4300 29th St. S, will be open Saturday, July 7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for residents to drop off brush. County crews have collected 768 tons of debris. The County will suspend debris collection on Sunday, to rest crews, some of whom have worked 13 days straight. Cooling centers still available to residents without power.
Even though the vast majority of homes now have power, the county is continuing to advise residents to utilize Arlington’s libraries, community centers, pools and shopping malls in the event that they need to seek relief from this weekend’s expected extreme heat.
Your Beermonger: The Maturation of the Beer Geek
Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway
Having gone through the process of buying (and recently moving into) a home, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about maturity, responsibility, and growing up. I feel that all of us, as beer geeks, are coming of age right now, and that all of our changing palates and preferences are poised to make the craft beer scene more open and accessible than ever before.
The most obvious way that this is happening is in a more reasoned approach to “extreme” beers. That isn’t to say that the Imperial IPA is dead, or even dying. I mean to say that these days fewer of us are being brought into the craft beer fold through insanely hoppy IPAs or brutish Stouts, and that’s thanks to the evolution and maturing of those of us who, 10-15 years ago, became beer geeks precisely because of those big beers. The maturing of the beer geek palate has facilitated the rise of session beers of all styles, not to mention the proliferation of international styles previously unknown to many Americans and the recent resurgence of craft Pilsner and other Lagers here in the States. The combination of more approachable (though still unique) styles with world-class versions of familiar Lager beers is contributing to the mainstreaming of craft beer, and creating a new generation of beer geek for whom bigger isn’t necessarily better.
As I said, though, Imperial styles aren’t going anywhere. People just now coming into the fold are going to be curious and will seek out the big beers eventually, and the rest of us still enjoy an over-the-top hop bomb on occasion. As we all get to experience new styles and new approaches to classic styles, we are entering an era where context will be king. The next 10 years or so in craft beer will look much like the Slow Food or Organic movements; as more consumers become aware of their options, products will emerge to fill voids and find niches. To draw out the analogy, think back to about 10 years ago: having knowledge of organic and biodynamic farming was just starting to expand beyond the niche of being a “foodie”, but within a few years even the biggest of box stores were touting “local” and “organic” produce. The ’00s saw the emergence of “organic” after decades of hard work and relative obscurity, as the movement itself and the public at large matured with regard to their approach to it. I feel we’re on the verge of a similar emergence with craft beer.
From the sudden appearance of craft brewers on grocery store shelves, to craft beers taking a spot or two on the draft list of the local watering hole, to the resurrection of the neighborhood brewery/brewpub, to even the copycat “macromicro” beers being put out by the biggest of big breweries, craft beer is finally coming of age as we are. It’s going to become more important as we move forward to keep perspective, to make sure we take things in the right context as they develop. In other words, we need to be mature. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to grow up. Until next time.
Cheers!
Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
‘Burger 7′ Coming Soon to Lee Highway
A new burger restaurant is coming to Arlington.
“Burger 7″ is coming to the 2500 block of Lee Highway, next to a 7-Eleven store in the old Chickpeas Restaurant space. Burger 7 has an existing location at 7505 Leesburg Pike, in Falls Church and, in addition to the Arlington location, will be opening an Alexandria location later this year.
Burger 7 bills itself as a restaurant that’s “committed to bringing you a juicy gourmet burger that will take you to burger heaven.” According to the company’s website, Burger 7 uses certified Angus beef, which is ground fresh daily. The beef is said to be sourced from humanely-raised cattle that has been fed an all-vegetarian diet and which has never been given hormones or antibiotics.
Other menu items at Burger 7 include french fries cooked in olive oil, sweet fries, onion rings handspun shakes made with organic milk and grass-fed all-beef hotdogs.
No word yet on when the Lee Highway location is expected to open. Calls to the phone number listed for the company were not answered.
Amazon Offering ‘Locker’ Delivery in Arlington
Arlington and other Northern Virginia locales have joined the list of areas where Amazon.com is offering its “Amazon Locker” self-serve delivery pickup service.
Two 7-Eleven stores in Arlington — 4223 Fairfax Drive in Ballston and 4970 Columbia Pike — have been outfitted with a bank of electronic, Amazon-branded lockers. Residents ordering from Amazon can opt to have their package delivered to the locker instead of to their house or apartment.
If you choose locker delivery, Amazon will email you a code once the package has been delivered to the locker. You then tap in the code at a touch screen display, and your locker will open. Just don’t procrastinate after getting the email — if your package isn’t picked up for three days, it will be sent back to Amazon and your money will be refunded.
In addition to Northern Virginia, Amazon Locker service is also available in Seattle, New York City, and London. The company is billing the service as “a new and easy way to receive your Amazon packages.”
Hat tip to Bill C.
Excessive Heat Watch Issued
The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory and an Excessive Heat Watch for Arlington and the surrounding region.
With temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees today and tomorrow (Saturday), forecasters are warning of possible heat-related illness. According to NBC 4, by Sunday this will be the longest heat wave — 11 straight days above 95 degrees — in D.C. area history.
HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING… … EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING…
* HEAT INDICES… AROUND 105 THIS AFTERNOON. AROUND 110 SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
* MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES… AROUND 100 THIS AFTERNOON. AROUND 100 TO 105 SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
* IMPACT… HIGH RISK OF HEAT EXHAUSTION OR OTHER HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS FOR THOSE WITHOUT AIR-CONDITIONING OR THOSE SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A HEAT ADVISORY AND AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH MEAN THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS… STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM… STAY OUT OF THE SUN… AND CHECK IN ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.
TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE… RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT AND LOOSE-FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.
TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK… THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR-CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY – CALL 9 1 1.
Morning Notes
New Bikeshare Stations Coming to Pike, Trails — A new “Transit Development Plan” for Capital Bikeshare calls for new stations to be installed along Columbia Pike, in Shirlington, at the Pentagon, at Arlington National Cemetery and along the W&OD and Four Mile Run trails. Installation of most of the planned stations is expected to take place in 2013. [The Wash Cycle]
Southwest Comes to DCA — Southwest Airlines will begin operating its first scheduled service from Reagan National Airport on Sunday (July 8). The airline will be flying between DCA and Austin, Texas. [Sun Gazette]
Media Inquiries Prompt Storm Clean-up Work — In at least two instances, calls from media outlets apparently prompted Dominion and Arlington County to send crews to areas of Arlington where trees and wires had been down for days and residents were growing restless. [Washington Post, WJLA]
Resident Uses Girl Scout Skills to Brave Outages — Arlington resident Mary Bielefield says living in a home without power is sort of like camping. The former Girl Scout has been relying on matches, bags of ice, flashlights and a battery-powered radio. [WUSA 9]
