Wed. August 24, 2011
Washington, DC -The The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) is advising all property owners, property managers, businesses and retailers to help clear public space in anticipation of high winds and rainfalls forecasted for this weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for much of the East Coast prompting many states, including DC’s neighboring Virginia and Maryland, to declare a state of emergency. Hurricane Irene is currently predicted to bring winds of up to possibly 50 mph and as much as six inches of rain to the DC region. The BID is urging businesses to remove loose objects and/or debris that could become dangerous projectiles during hurricane force winds. ” We should take advantage of the advance warning on this storm,” said DowntownDC BID Executive Director Richard Bradley. “Removing loose items in public space is just one of a number of ways we can take precautions and be prepared.” The BID’s Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance (SAM) team will identify and alert property managers to potential hazards such as chairs, tables and umbrellas from sidewalk cafés, empty newspaper boxes, and trash. Building owners and tenants are also advised and reminded to remove chairs and or tables, small planters and any other loose objects from building balconies.
In addition to these precautionary measures, the BID has provided the following information to help prepare should the hurricane hit the region.
Sign up for DC Alerts
To receive emergency text messages and updates on your cellular phone register here: https://textalert.ema.dc.gov (DC Alert registration). Additional preparedness information is available at: www.72hours.dc.gov.
Twitter
The BID recommends the following Twitter accounts for important preparedness and emergency information throughout the hurricane event. Additional local twitter feeds can be found by running a search in your “Who to Follow” tab on twitter; enter “traffic reports dc” or “weather reports dc”, etc.
DC Emergency Agencies @DC_HSEMA (DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency)
@DDOTDC (District Department of Transportation)
@DCRA (DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs)
@DCDPW (DC Department of Public Works)Traffic and weather news The BID advises travelers in and around the region to monitor media advisories and traffic alerts (knowb4ugo). Here are a few local feeds providing real-time information:
@drgridlock (Dr. Gridlock, Washington Post)
@WTOP (local news radio station)
@capitalweather (Washington Post Weather Updates)
@WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro)
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Emergency Shelters There are two emergency shelters located within the DowntownDC BID • Thomson Elementary (1200 L St NW) 202-898-4660 • Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Pl NW) 202-249-3012 If you live in DC and want to find an emergency shelter nearby your home go to:
http://hsema.dc.govTo report a utility outage: • Pepco power outage 1-877-737-2662 • Downed power lines 202-872-3432 • DC Water 202-612-3400 • Washington Gas 202-872-3432 DC Emergency: Police, Fire or Medical Emergency Only 911 Police Non-emergency 311 Tree/debris removal 311
Additional information on emergency preparedness and how to ready your property in advance of the hurricane can be found at www.72hours.dc.gov.