Preparations underway at DMV for blizzard – NBC4 Washington

Local and state snow crews are preparing to treat secondary and neighborhood streets throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia.

“It’s me and three other guys, so it’s pretty small,” said Jason Swain of the Department of Public Works in Kensington Maryland.

He says his team may be small, but they are mighty and ready.

“We get the plows ready, make sure everything’s working,” Swain said. “We have salt kindly given to us by the state ready to put in the spreaders.”

He says the biggest obstacle when plowing snow is often cars.

“Some people don’t have driveways, but if they’re going to park on the street, try not to park directly across from each other because when we come through, you literally got inches between the edge of our plow and the cars,” Swain said.

In the district, many people decided to step outside before snow crews set plows to the pavement for a potential all-day snow event.

“Mayor Bowser activated the snow crew and they will begin their operations tonight, process and then plow roads throughout the day tomorrow,” said Clint Osborn of the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

DC’s smaller plows will be on back roads and alleyways, while heavy trucks will focus on primary streets.

“We will have a full deployment out all day tomorrow through Monday as we support the initial activities in the district,” Osborn said.

Icy conditions in Prince George’s County during the region’s last snowstorm led to different strategies this time around.

In a statement, the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation said, “We have implemented adjustments to strengthen our response and these improvements have prepared us for this round of winter weather.”

The biggest piece of advice for tomorrow:

“Tomorrow would be a good day, being a Sunday, to stay home,” said Swain. “Read a book, drink hot chocolate, relax. Can come out when we’re done.”