Icy Neighborhoods Need Cooler Heads
A Difficult Week in the County Requires Calm, Focus
Prince George’s Suite Magazine
With her voice raspy and showing signs of overuse over the past week, County Executive Aisha Braveboy stood before cameras on Jan. 28 to address the immediate challenge: the storm pinned residents to their homes and there didn’t seem to be enough being done to address it.
There was a plan, the executive reminds us. She moved budget resources toward winter preparation ahead of the winter season. The administration brought new equipment, chalked up the hours of labor and had people and machines on the roads to combat a storm that they note had more adverse staying power than any other over the past decade.
To the credit of the administration, the Braveboy leadership has done a good job on focusing on the issues that are closest to the hearts and wallets of county residents. They came in fast and furious last summer, addressing county cleanliness, permitting processes and management silos that have dogged county growth for decades. Braveboy seemed to have her ear to the ground on points that longtime residents have been discussing. And she has been fast-tracking much of the work through a cooperative county council that shares her passion.
But Braveboy missed on this storm management issue in the minds of many residents. The storm dumped snow at an alarming rate, and then the below-freezing temperatures created a staggering situation that couldn’t be resolved overnight.
This affected the entire DMV. The cold snap locked an icy grip on neighborhoods in all jurisdictions. What would typically take 1 - 2 days of snow cleanup once temperatures rose became 3 - 4 days of a grueling fight to move heavy, stubborn ice.
Heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson said it best: Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. It’s at that point that the great boxer learns, adapts, and adjusts. The administration deserves the opportunity to strengthen what went well and course-correct what didn’t.
Our focus has to go deeper. Our winters have been relatively mild in recent years. But the weather isn’t the only thing getting colder and harder to predict. The state and county are facing severe deficits, and the federal level has shown that it may not be there for Prince George’s. This means county districts, community groups and HOAs need to become more proactive at the community level year-round. We all need to become more self-sufficient where possible, more neighborly with our neighbors for cooperation – and survival (in the cases of our sick and elderly).
The county government still has a job to do. A few suggestions might include hiring (even on a consultant basis) experienced snow and ice removal personnel. These snow raised experts may contribute to tactical planning and how to properly move snow in urban and suburban environments. Get reserve loads of salt –- and smaller machinery -- to the district council members and community leaders within the 43 residential snow districts. This way, the materials are already in the locations of the communities that will need them under the leadership on the ground. Create several layers of your plan, and share them in advance with the public. Develop non-digital, alternative emergency communications networks among leadership and another for residents (311 becomes overwhelmed). This might be achieved by creating diverse subsets in snow districts that feed into a headquarters center. Above all, maintain a leadership posture that consistently lets residents know that the hand at the wheel is steady and sure.
After all, Tyson’s personal life may have had its issues, but in the ring, that left hook was the steadiest hand in the building. And everybody knew it.
