Sunday, February 15, 2015

BETHESDA SNOW UPDATE: MOCO EMS WORKERS STRUCK BY VEHICLE ON BELTWAY, 3000+ IN POWER OUTAGE

Bethesda and Montgomery County remain under a wind advisory and snow emergency at this hour. High winds will continue until around 2:00 PM this afternoon. A short but significant snowstorm, high wind gusts, and temperatures in the teens created poor road conditions, resulting in multiple accidents and power outages across the county.

2 Montgomery County EMS personnel - one male and one female - were struck by a motorist early this morning, while at the scene of a previous incident on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway (I-495) between River Road and the I-270 spur. Both sustained serious injuries, but Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said both are expected to recover, and remain hospitalized.

In all, there were at least 6 trauma patients from the combination of the two incidents. The Beltway had to be temporarily closed to extricate 3 trapped occupants of one of the vehicles.

Not long afterward, another MCFRS unit, RS742, was struck further around the Beltway near the University Boulevard interchange, according to Piringer. Fortunately, that crew was unhurt in an incident that Piringer said involved a Metrobus and a bus from Bowie State University.

Needless to say, conditions are hazardous out there.

Many Bethesda residents are without power. As of this writing, 286 residents are in the dark in the Hillmead neighborhood between Bradley Boulevard and Greentree Road.

Over 880 are without power in the Georgetown Village neighborhood off Old Georgetown Road, and near the Wildwood and Georgetown Square shopping centers.

A whopping 2,300 are blacked out in the Longwood/Fernwood Road area near the Beltway.

5 customers are in the dark along Massachusetts Avenue a short distance south of Goldsboro Road.

Less than 5 are dark in the Parkside area off Rockville Pike, and the same is the case near Wyaconda Road in Randolph Hills.

So far, Pepco is on scene for many of these, but has not publicly indicated an estimated restoration time for any of the outages - not good news for those without heat.

It is currently 8.5° F in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. Other temperatures across Bethesda:

8.1° in Fort Sumner

8.6° in Greenwich Forest

7.9° in Brookdale

8.3° in Burning Tree Estates

8.7° on Newbold Drive

And a comparatively toasty 9° in Chevy Chase.



1 comment:

Flynn said...

What a pretty opening photo!