Residents Advised to Remain Indoors
Thousands of Northern Virginia homes are without power as the blizzard continues to pound the area and with reports of over 12″ of snow and counting already, area officials are advising residents to remain indoors during the storm.
As the storm continues to worsen, additional power outages are expected. Local power providers currently have all available personnel working to restore electrical service and cannot provide an accurate estimate on when electrical service will be restored.
Fairfax County officials advise people to not dial 9-1-1 to obtain information on the restoration of power. Instead, residents should call their local provider, either Dominion Power (in Falls Church City) at 1-888-667-3000 or Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) at 703-335-0500 or toll-free at 1-888-335-0500.
Emergency personnel are continuously monitoring the weather conditions. Residents affected by power outages are advised to remain home. Due to the current blizzard-like weather conditions there is a greater safety risk if residents have to travel outside their home.
At this time the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management strongly recommends that residents remain indoors where occupants are not exposed to current hazardous weather conditions.
Caution should be used with any approved (UL or FM listed) auxiliary heating devices, such as kerosene, propane or natural gas heaters. Keep combustibles away from all portable heating devices and candles, monitor their use and don’t leave them unattended.
Fairfax County Government offices and facilities, including libraries, are closed until 6 a.m. Monday, Feb. 8. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled. Fairfax County Public Schools are closed for the weekend.
Emergency information will be available this weekend on Fairfax County’s Web site, Facebook, Twitter, emergency information phone line (703-817-7771), the Community Emergency Alert Network (CEAN) and on Fairfax County Government Channel 16. In addition, 1670 AM, emergency radio for Fairfax County, is broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the National Weather Service.
