FEBRUARY 20, 2015
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
Some Arlington residents braved the bitter cold after the
freezing temperatures caused a pipe to burst and false fire alarms to go off.
This week a sprinkler system in the garage of the Market Commons apartment building froze and the water expanded, causing the sprinkler pipes to explode.
Arlington County Fire Department Capt. Gregg Karl tells Fox5 the fire alarms sent residents out into the cold in
the early morning hours.
“It’s not just residential properties, it’s generally any
building that is susceptible to it with a sprinkler system,” he said.
Fox5 reports the sprinkler system’s alarms have been
disconnected from 911 to prevent the false alarms. Until the problem can be
fixed, apartment staff are walking around the building on fire watch.
The above situation is but one of thousands in the areas
affected by the deep freeze. The long
duration of the deep freeze and the record-breaking windchill factors have
taken their toll on water pipes. Much of
that damage is not going to show its ugly face until they thaw. Then, it will be a flood of water running
down roofs, ceilings floors, etc.
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FRIGID TEMPERATURES
TRIGGER SCHOOL CLOSURES, DELAYS ACROSS REGION FRIDAY
As extremely cold temperatures descended on the Washington region
Thursday night, area school officials made early decisions to cancel Friday
classes or delay school openings as they weighed student safety, bus operations
and facility concerns.
Weather experts called for possible record lows in the area
Friday morning, with some neighborhoods expected to see temperatures in the
single digits and wind chills near -15 degrees.
The frigid air came as part of a blast from the Northwest on
Thursday that forced officials in Chicago and Pittsburgh — cities more familiar
with such temperatures — to shut down schools.
Some administrators in the Washington area acted
preemptively before the coldest weather arrived. Prince George’s County made
the decision before 3 p.m. Thursday to open two hours late Friday. By shortly
after 5 p.m., Prince William and Loudoun counties followed suit by deciding to
close schools Friday. Montgomery County announced a two-hour delay by 6 p.m.,
and Arlington County schools later did the same. Fairfax County schools also
will close Friday.
“These precautions will ensure the safety of all students,
especially the thousands who walk to school,” Prince William officials said in
a message to families.
The Friday closings mean that tens of thousands of students
in the region enjoyed one of the shortest school weeks possible.
Thursday marked the first day of classes this week after the
Presidents’ Day holiday for some school districts after a winter storm covered
Northern Virginia, the District and Southern Maryland in about four to six
inches of snow.
Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William and Prince George’s counties
all opened two hours late Thursday because of cold temperatures that left many
roads slicked with a frosty mixture of snow and ice.
In Fairfax County, which opened on time Thursday, some buses
ran about 30 minutes to an hour behind schedule. Schools spokesman John Torre
said that 15 routes were delayed Thursday morning in the Reston, Herndon and
Falls Church areas, affecting elementary, middle and high schools.
Torre said Fairfax experienced other scattered delays in the
morning, mostly for roads that were “difficult to navigate because of snow and
ice. Some buses wouldn’t start, and some buses had mechanical problems once
they started their routes.”
Low temperatures also caused problems at Hyattsville
Elementary this week, said parent Rachel Eckert, 29. Frozen pipes burst and
flooded her son’s second-grade classroom, one of several affected by plumbing
problems. As a result, Eckert said, some classes were doubled up and crammed
into a single room.
A spokesman for Prince George’s schools did not return
requests for comment Thursday.
“There’s no way he’s learning anything, because it’s so hard
for him to focus,” Eckert said. “It’s crowded. The classrooms are small as it
is, and for them to have 55 in a class is ridiculous.”
The decision to close schools is a multifaceted process, one
that can spark harsh criticism from parents and students. Last month, Fairfax
County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza issued a rare apology for not
delaying or canceling classes after a January storm created hazardous driving
conditions, especially for inexperienced teens.
“We understand the implications of closing schools, but the
primary consideration is safety,” Torre said. “The safety of students who walk
to school; the safety of students who walk to and from bus stops; the safety of
students who drive themselves to school and the safety of students who ride
school buses.”
When temperatures drop into the single digits — as expected
Friday — school officials must consider other factors. The chilly weather means
that the 19,000 students who shuffle among Fairfax’s 990 trailers will be
exposed to the elements when they walk between buildings to get to their
classes.
Another concern is frostbite, particularly among the growing
population of students who live in poverty, children whom Fairfax officials
have said might not be able to afford quality winter coats and other clothing
necessary to stay warm.