Snow, ice blanket region

Feb. 14, 2007
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

  FREDERICK — Police agencies around Frederick County were pleasantly surprised Tuesday afternoon to find fewer public safety problems than expected.
     Cpl. Jennifer Bailey of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said between midnight and early afternoon Tuesday, five accidents were reported in the county.
     Since the crash investigations were in early stages, weather had not been blamed. Three of the crashes resulted in property damage and two in personal injury, but Bailey did not know how serious the injuries were.
     “At this point we're doing fairly well,” she said early Tuesday afternoon. “When I spoke with emergency communications they did not report a higher than usual number of accidents.”
     The average number of accidents in Frederick County is about 3,000 every year — roughly eight accidents every day, according to the Frederick Coun ty Highway Safety Task Force.
     Bailey suggests residents stay off the road if possible to avoid accidents. Drivers who must drive should buckle-up, keep headlights lit and stay patient.
     Accuweather meteorologists expected by the time the storm passes through the county today, it will have dumped between three and six inches of snow and ice.
     Today, Accuweather is predicting a high of 29 degrees with snow and sleet in the morning. The precipitation should give way to clouds and sun in the afternoon, according to Accuweather.
     WeatherBug chief meteorologist Mark Hoekzema predicts an ice storm will deposit as much as half an inch of ice on trees and power lines from Loudoun County, Va. to Frederick and Carroll counties today, potentially causing power outages.
     Lora Rakowski, spokeswoman for the Maryland State Highway Administration, said more than 1,600 pieces of equipment were deployed across the state to help keep roads safe.
     “We're trying to saturate the roadways with salt to prevent ice from adhering to the road,” Rakowski said. “It becomes a big concern as snow turns to rain.”
     While Rakowski was appreciative of the limited number of accidents Tuesday, she was concerned the icy weather today could change that.
     “We want drivers to realize that driving in these conditions is a critical matter,” she said. “One of the best things a driver can do is be courteous and cautious; making a driver behind you suddenly break can start a cycle of crashes.”

Road conditions
     Lt. Kevin Grubb, patrol commander for Frederick Police Department, was surprised Tuesday by the lack of snow.
     “We expected to have it worse and we expected the snow emergency to be in effect,” Grubb said. “It's been very quiet, which is unusual in itself.”
     Next to weather-related crashes, Grubb is most concerned about keeping the emergency snow routes clear of traffic. The last thing he wants is residents needlessly paying fines because traffic couldn't move during a snow storm.
     Lt. Shawn Tyler of the Thurmont Police Department was pleased the town's road crew helped keep the streets safe by using snow plows and salt trucks.
     “What goes through my mind is basically that we're going to start fielding accidents because people won't slow down,” Tyler said. “On days like today, accidents do increase, but we've been lucky so far. ”
     As of early Tuesday afternoon, no accidents were reported in Thurmont. Tyler thinks drivers were helped by going slower.
     Even though he's been on the job for less than two months, Chief John Smith of the Brunswick Police Department was pleased to have a hand in helping the town prepare for the snow.
     Road crews in Brunswick helped keep the roads safe while police units patrolled the area for trouble. As of early Tuesday afternoon, no accidents were reported in Brunswick.
     “They're calling for snow and ice and bad weather, but there's nothing we can do but have our agency prepared to handle it,” he said. “They're out there doing a good job.”