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Morning Notes

Published October 29, 2012 at 9:15AM | Updated October 29, 2012 at 10:45AM

No Sandbag Distribution in Arlington — Contrary to some rumors, Arlington County is not distributing sandbags to residents concerned about flooding. “Arlington County, fortunately, does not have significant river front areas that are subject to flooding (e.g., Georgetown, Old Town),” Arlington County Director of Communications Diana Sun told ARLnow.com this morning.” She said that county staff is “focused on the highest priorities.”

Long Bridge Drive Flooded — Long Bridge Drive, near Crystal City, has flooded as a result of rain overnight and is being closed to traffic by police. The flood-prone road is the only street that leads to the parking lots for Long Bridge Park.

News

Schools Close, Metro Suspended, Arlington Declares State of Emergency

By ARLnow.com

Published October 28, 2012 at 5:25PM | Updated October 28, 2012 at 8:48PM

All classes and activities have been canceled Monday at Arlington Public Schools in advance of the storm, which is now expected to drop 5 to 10 inches of rain and pack wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour between tonight and Tuesday.

Metro has suspended all rail, bus and MetroAccess service starting Monday. Service will remain suspended “until further notice.” ART bus service has also been suspended Monday.

News

County, VDOT Officials Monitoring Path of Hurricane Sandy

By ARLnow.com

Published October 25, 2012 at 5:10PM | Updated October 26, 2012 at 3:36PM

Sandy, which is currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas, is expected to make its way north and threaten the D.C. area. Forecasters from the Capital Weather Gang say there’s a 75 percent chance of a direct or indirect hit from Sandy, which could bring 2 to 8 inches of rain and wind gusts from 50 to over 75 miles per hour.

In a phone interview, Arlington’s acting Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Bonnie Regan, said an email was sent Thursday to emergency support personnel in various county departments, asking them to check generators, fuel supplies, and weekend staff availability.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 2, 2011 at 8:21AM | Updated September 2, 2011 at 9:35AM

Historic ‘Arlington Oak’ Toppled — A historic tree in Arlington National Cemetery is now firewood thanks to Hurricane Irene. The cemetery revealed last night that the ‘Arlington Oak’ at the Kennedy gravesite had been knocked down by the storm’s high winds and steady rains. “That tree had a significant legacy here,” said a cemetery official. [CBS News]

Firefighters Collecting for MDA — Arlington’s firefighters are out “filling the boot” at busy intersections to collect money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. A medic crew was out at the intersection of Glebe Road and Columbia Pike last night, and the crew from Engine 109 was spotted out in the Shirlington area, among others. [Shirlington Village Blog]

News

Lubber Run Amphitheater Damaged by Hurricane Irene

By ARLnow.com

Published August 29, 2011 at 1:55PM

The large, rotted tree limb, felled by the wind and rain of Hurricane Irene, hit the back of the amphitheater building and damaged the concrete brick parapet wall and capping. Some wiring also appeared to be damaged.

The damage is not enough to close the amphitheater for next weekend’s round of performances — the last of the summer — according to county spokeswoman Mary Curtius. She said that the power lines to the building are intact, but will be checked by an electrician. (Update at 2:05 p.m. — We’re now hearing that the power connection to the building may, in fact, have been damaged.)

News

Power Outage Update

By ARLnow.com

Published August 29, 2011 at 1:06PM

At its peak, immediately after Hurricane Irene left the area yesterday morning, more than 14,000 Dominion customers were in the dark in Arlington.

“Arlington, Alexandria and Springfield experienced some significant damage,” said Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson. “Due to that, we know that it will be Tuesday night before all of those customers are restored.”

Opinion

Morning Poll: Hurricane Irene Expectations

By ARLnow.com

Published August 29, 2011 at 9:10AM

Switch on the TV last week, and it sounded like a disaster movie in the making. As it approached, evacuations were ordered on the coast and local residents stocked up on supplies. Then, as Hurricane Irene finally made its way up the eastern seaboard, local TV stations and the cable news channels went with wall-to-wall coverage.

No doubt you’ve already seen the damage reports and the damage photos. In your mind, was the storm’s impact worse than or not as bad as expected?

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 29, 2011 at 8:31AM

Federal Government is Open — Federal government offices are open, 24 hours after the last remnants of Hurricane Irene left the area. Employees “have the option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework.” [OPM]

Video of Hurricane Damage — Arlington County created a video tour of some of the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. [YouTube]

News

Photos: Hurricane Damage Around Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published August 28, 2011 at 3:32PM

Arlington residents woke up this morning to power outages and scores of downed trees and tree branches, thanks to the high winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Irene.

“It’s just terrible,” said County Board member Walter Tejada as he toured some of the worst scenes of destruction around the county with Acting County Manager Marsha Allgeier and Deputy Police Chief Michael Dunne. While many areas escaped with just a few downed tree limbs, some areas remain blocked and without power due to large trees that fell across roads and power lines.

News

Irene’s Winds Bring Down Trees, Knock Out Power

By ARLnow.com

Published August 28, 2011 at 4:07AM | Updated August 28, 2011 at 12:26PM

(Updated at 12:25 p.m.) Tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Irene, combined with a steady, soaking rain, brought down at least 75 trees throughout Arlington last night, completely or partially blocking at least 35 streets, authorities said.

The falling trees blocked main roads, like Columbia Pike and westbound I-66, and knocked out power to various parts of the county. The 100 block of N. Liberty Street, Rock Spring Road and N. Wakefield Street, N. Quantico and N. 18th Street and N. Edison and Little Falls Road all remain blocked this afternoon, according to authorities and residents. County crews with chainsaws are helping to remove fallen trees and tree limbs from the roadway.

Weather

Hurricane Irene: What to Expect

By ARLnow.com

Published August 27, 2011 at 1:58PM | Updated August 27, 2011 at 6:22PM

Update at 6:20 p.m. — The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Arlington County. Heavy rains are causing ponding on roadways and producing the risk of dangerous flooding, especially in low-lying areas.

From Arlington County:

News

Important Phone Numbers During the Storm

By ARLnow.com

Published August 27, 2011 at 12:10PM

Arlington County has released a list of important phone numbers for residents during Hurricane Irene.