Officials tally weekend storm response, prepare for next one

RICHMOND, Va. -- Public safety officials in Prince William County, Manassas and throughout the state have been busy in the wake of a record-breaking snowstorm that brought feet, not inches of snow to the area.

Numbers -- in terms of traffic accidents and calls for help -- are just being tallied, all while another storm system bears down on the Washington region.

This past weekend in Prince William County, 1,036 calls for help were placed to the county’s public safety communications center. Along with the calls, county police responded to 96 reported car crashes, said police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.

While the National Guard loaned Prince William and Manassas fire departments some of their Humvees. county police continued to use white SUVs, owned by the county, marked “police” on the side, to get through the snow and respond to calls.

“The white SUVs are driven by county employees and the Prince William County Police Department is going to continue driving them until the weather is favorable,” said Hernandez.

Virginia State Police received more than 5,000 calls for service during the storm statewide, with nearly 2,000 of them being car crashes and 3,000 disabled vehicles.

In the agency’s Fairfax Division, which includes Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County, there were 193 crashes and 550 reports of disabled cars, between Friday and Sunday.

At least three deaths were blamed on the storm in Virginia, including two people who stopped to help a disabled motorist in Southwest Virginia.

“With yet another storm heading our way, we still warn Virginians to be wary of deteriorating weather and road conditions,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent Colonel W. Steven Flaherty. “Just as we advise drivers to slow down for slick road conditions and allow for more stopping and travel distances between vehicles, we also remind motorists of the importance of buckling up and avoiding distractions.”

In preparation for this next storm, Manassas officials worked Tuesday to gather 300 MREs, or meals-ready-to-eat in the event the city needs to open a public shelter in the event of additional power outages, said City Deputy Coordinator Robert Halsall.

“The meals are a various assortment of entrees and have a variety of things in them, are more up to date version of the MRE than what used to be, called heater meals, where like a TV dinner can be heated and then eaten,” said Halsall.

Most of the winter weather should move into the area by 2 p.m. Tuesday, with light accumulations during the day. Overnight, snow will pick up, with high winds and last throughout the day Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters said seven to 14 inches of the white stuff could fall.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.