Harford Blizzard Updates: Local State of Emergency Declared; National Guard Assets Requested; Bel Air Parking Garage Open for Residents

From the Town of Bel Air:

Storm Jonas update from the Bel Air Police Department and Bel Air Department of Public Works.

Storm Jonas will continue to remain a viable Harford County threat for at least several days. According to the Harford County Division of Emergency Operations, the storm will begin to weaken at approximately 11:00 pm tonight. Although Storm Jonas’ strength will decline, the ferocity and impact of the storm will remain for several days in forms of minor precipitation, wind gusts, and hazardous roadway conditions. The Blizzard Warning will remain in effect until 6:00 am, Sunday morning. A State of Emergency has been declared at the state and local levels.

Important things to keep in mind over the next several days:

1. Staying home allows highway support crews to more effectively accomplish their jobs. Stay tuned to one of many authorized alert systems for updates on when it is safe to return to vehicular travel.

2. The Town of Bel Air is offering courtesy parking for the Town of Bel Air Parking Garage for town citizens until the crisis has been stabilized.

3. In situations like this, ensuring that your garage door operates smoothly is essential for safety. D&L Garage Doors can provide the necessary maintenance or repairs to ensure your garage door works effectively, especially when it’s needed most.

4. With the ongoing storm, it’s important to keep your garage space ready, and having a dependable service for Garage Doors can make a huge difference in preventing any potential issues.

5. Prepare for the possibility of power outages, however, do not operate generators indoors and do not cook on grills indoors.

6. All houses of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company will be open as warming centers if there are power outages.

7. Exercise extreme caution while approaching intersections with non-functioning signals. All operators are obligated to come to a complete stop at an intersection with non-functioning traffic signals and then proceed with caution.

8. The Bel Air Police Department will place temporary stop signs at intersections as time permits.

9. Department of public works, police and fire personnel are activated, however, patience is a necessity as public services may be overwhelmed.

10. Please exercise common sense and good judgement while shoveling snow. Harford County is experiencing many calls for service for citizens who have overextended themselves in this taxing endeavor. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

11. To review other storm recovery tips and to receive Town of Bel Air notifications, please follow: the Bel Air Police Department and Town of Bel Air Government on Facebook.

12. Additionally, the Harford County Department of Emergency Services offers some great storm tips and storm updates.

From Bel Air Town Commissioner Brendan Hopkins:

“I would like to Thank Chief Moore from BAPD and Director Kline from Bel Air DPW for all the hard work and planning that they put into this winter storm” . ” I urge citizens to stay off the roadways until Monday to allow first responders and DPW crews a chance to do their jobs”. ” This will not happen overnight and it will take several days to adequately clear roadways”. “Fire apparatus and plow equipment from Bel Air became stuck this evening and having citizens out on the roads during this storm makes things even worse.”

From Harford County government:

Good Evening, this is Emergency Manager Rick Ayers. County Executive Glassman is reporting this as a top 5 snow event in Harford County’s history and we still expect heavy snow and high wind gusts throughout the evening. As we begin to move into the recovery phase, we ask for your patience in the coming days. Harford County Employees and State Highways Crews are working around the clock we also hired additional contractors to assist in clearing the roads. We still need your help in this recovery effort by remaining off the roads if at all possible, not parking on the street and we ask that you not push snow in the middle of your street. If you want to view the snow plows in your area, please go to the Harford County Web-Site and click on the Snow Plow Tracker. As a reminder, the Harford County Hot-Line Number is 410-838-5800. Thanks and Be Safe

From the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association:

Fire Departments and TRT are working a structural roof collapse at the Safeway store on Brierhill Drive in Bel Air. All employees are accounted for. FD doing a check for any customers. Primary check was negative. NO injuries reported at this time. Responding units are having a difficult time accessing the scene due to the road conditions.

From Harford County Councilman “Capt’n” Jim McMahan and Bel Air Commissioner Susan Burdette:

Stop shoveling now!!!
There has been a dramatic increase for medic calls for cardiac arrests this afternoon many of these due to shoveling snow!!
Stop it!!!
Know your limit and go slowly.
Ok here is the skinny
Between now and 10 pm tonight we will get 8 to 12 more inches.
Expect the strongest winds between
3 to 5 pm – gusts may exceed 55mph

This storm should pull away by 10pm

Please—please do not get out on the highway yet. You have really cooperated so far and thanks.
We have been lucky so far with no outages in the Delmarva power co area and only 7 in the BG&E area.
Do not operate generators inside!!!
Do not cook on outside grills, inside your home
the non-emergency “hot line “ is 410 838 5800

Only if you are able…clear around the fire hydrants.
Please do not pile the snow in your driveway out into the traveled portion of the road.

From Harford County government:

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman has declared a Local State of Emergency and we have requested National Guard Assets. The Blizzard Warning is now in place and we can expect 18 to 24 inches of heavy snow and potentially more. Harford County has also been placed under a High Wind Warning and we can expect wind gusts up to 65 mph. This is a very dangerous storm and we should treat it as such. I would expect widespread power outages that may last for several days. The Harford County EOC is activated at this time and the Harford County Hot-Line was activated as of 7 PM Friday and that number is (410) 838-5800.

From Harford County Councilman “Capt’n” Jim McMahan and Bel Air Commissioner Susan Burdette:

We are half way home!!!

Blizzard warning is in effect till 6am Sunday.
Continuing heavy snow and strong winds
Expect possible “white out” conditions throughout the day today.

Winds — Saturday and Saturday night–
Northeast 20 to 30 mph gusts 50 to 55 mph
Snow amounts 20+aberdeen 30+ norrisville
The potential for drifting snow, blocking roads, is high. Saturday 50 to 55 mph gusts will not be uncommon. Power outages are expected.
Outages could last 24 to 48 hours in some locations due to impassable roads.
Do not operate generators inside!!!
Do not cook on outside grills, inside your home with a wide spread area possibly losing power, local fire stations most likely will be opened as warming centers. Call the hot line if needed.

Please continue to stay off the roads so crews can clear and emergency vehicles have access. Use 911 for emergencies only. The non-emergency “hot line” is 410 838 5800

Feed the birds and check on your neighbors

From the Harford County Public Library:

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Harford County Public Library will be closed on Saturday, January 23rd and Sunday, January 24th due to the impending storm. The Library is always open at HCPLonline.org. Check for updates on the website also.

From Harford County government:

Harford County Parks & Rec Facilities, Waste Disposal Center Closed Due to Snow Storm

Due to the ongoing snow storm, all Harford County Parks & Recreation facilities were closed as of 6:00 p.m. Friday, January 22, and will remain closed all day Saturday, January 23, and Sunday, January 24, 2016. In addition, the Harford Waste Disposal Center and Tollgate Road Yard Trim Drop-Off Site will be closed on Saturday, January 23, 2016.

From the Town of Bel Air:

Storm Message

Important message from the Town of Bel Air and the Bel Air Police Department. We are encouraging our residents to avoid parking on Town roads during the storm. Not parking on the streets will allow our plow drivers to clear roads faster and create wider lanes for travel. To assist with our request, we are allowing free use of the parking garage on Hickory Avenue for Town residents beginning tonight at 6 pm until Monday morning at 6 am. We will reevaluate extending this courtesy on Monday morning. When clearing your driveway and sidewalks please do not move snow into the roadway, this delays our public works from clearing our streets. Please follow Bel Air Police Department and Town of Bel Air Government on Facebook for updates. You may also visit us at www.belairmd.org and sign up for our “News Flash” feature that will keep you updated with important information regarding Town events and news.

From the City of Aberdeen:

DPW Crews will begin plowing operations around 10 am this morning.

The focus of the plowing operations today will continue to ensure that emergency and main roads are passable.

This is a dangerous storms with a lot of snow and high winds, crews are doing everything possible to keep up with the storm but the sheer volume of it makes this difficult to do as we are in the middle of the storm.

Crews will attempt to get at least a pass through secondary roads and cul-de-sacs.

Yesterday, plows were through most neighborhoods at least once. Crews are coming off their mandatory rest period and will begin tackling roads in these priorities.

We continue to ask that you move your vehicles off the roads and park on your driveway.