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DPW Gets Ready for Hurricane Isabel

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

(Washington, DC) In preparation for hurricane Isabel's anticipated wind and rain, District residents picked up over 500 sandbags from the DPW facility at 2700 S. Capitol Street, SE last night and this morning. DPW received another 27 tons of sand late this afternoon. DC employees will work overtime to continue filling sandbags this evening until 9 pm. Any sandbags remaining will be piled outside the gates at 2700 S. Capitol in order to be accessible to residents who may want to pick them up late tonight or early tomorrow morning. The sandbags are free on a first-come, first served basis.

To ensure availability, DPW employees will resume bagging at approximately 7:30 am tomorrow when an additional 40 tons of sand will be delivered. Each bag is filled manually and weighs about 30 pounds.

Following a storm or other disaster, DPW's role in support of the District's Response Plan (DRP) is that of debris removal, structural assessment, and securing emergency power, water and ice, if necessary - activities that rely heavily on vehicle and equipment readiness.

The most important of these responsibilities is debris clearing and removal, without which, fire, police and emergency vehicles might not be able to navigate the city's streets. Post-storm cleanup can last for several days or for several weeks, depending on the severity of the event.

To meet the challenge, DPW's Fleet Management Administration has already serviced and fueled dozens of chainsaws and other pieces of small equipment, as well as most of the city's heavy-duty vehicles, including front-end loaders, dump trucks, trash packers, wood chippers and telescoping tree maintenance trucks. Back-up generators and light towers have been fueled, checked and deployed to various worksites. Maintenance crews will be working around the clock. Additionally, mobile fuel tankers and "trouble trucks" will be on stand-by Friday through Sunday to assist the District workforce with any vehicle problems they may experience during their 12-hour clean-up shifts.

The hurricane—or what remains of the storm—is expected to be felt in this area by early afternoon on Thursday. Cleanup will begin as soon as the storm is over.