County government offices, libraries and the courts are closed on Tuesday.
Frederick, Md (KM). Winter isn’t finished with us yet. The National Weather Service says Frederick County could get between 8-inches and 15-inches of snow from the winter storm which is battering the region, with more in the higher elevations.
“The snow fall totals for this storm are certainly much smaller than for last year’s blizzard. But we do expect heavy, wet, snow, and that will bring its own challenges, such as the potential for power outages,” said County Executive Jan Gardner, who held a public information briefing on the weather Monday afternoon.
She said county highway crews and contractors have been positioned to clear the snow off of the local road network. “The County is responsible for 2600 lane miles of road. Now, to give that a little bit of perspective, if you line all the road miles in a single lane, it would stretch all the way from Frederick County to California. That’s a big task,” says Gardner.
She says crews clear the major highways first before tackling the subdivision Streets. “It will take longer to reach residential streets. So, as always, I ask you for your patience. We are certainly on our way,” says Gardner.
County government offices, public libraries, and the District and Circuit Courts will be closed on Tuesday.
The County call center will be in operation during the storm Citizens can call 301-600-1564.
If you shovel your sidewalks and driveway, Gardner says you need to take precautions to protect your health. “Don’t try to lift too much snow at a time, it is going to be heavy snow. Take your time, take a break when you need to, and stay hydrated,” she says.
And fire and rescue crews will be on duty to answer emergency calls. “If you have an emergency, we want you to call 911 immediately,” says Gardner. “We do always have snow plows out there to assist our ambulance crews when there is an emergency, so that we can always get to people.”
By Kevin McManus