Montgomery County Digs Out

Montgomery County's seat of power,  the Executive Office Building in Rockville, was dark Thursday. Some government leaders worked from home.

In Takoma Park Maryland,  the snow storm snapped  poles, downed power lines and left neighborhoods without  electricity.  One resident posted a homemade sign with skull and cross bones declaring  Cedar Ave. closed to traffic.
 
That's where a tree smashed two vehicles. One resident on the street, Chris Foreman, had no power in his home, so he was using his minivan as a power source.  "I'm charging my cellphone, and when I'm done, I'll charge my son's," Foreman said.  "You have to work with what you have."

The Maryland State Highway Administration closed a portion of 16th Street, diverting traffic heading to Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring because of downed power lines.
 
In Bethesda,  a Montgomery County Police officer directed traffic at  Old Georgetown Road and Democracy Boulevard because the traffic light was out.  There was no electricity in the Wildwood shopping center stores, including CVS,  Starbucks, and Balducci’s market.   Employees at Balducci's took hourly readings of food temperatures. Store manager Scott Kurtz said, "We brought in dry ice to keep the temperatures up and the food fresh so we're ready for customers when we reopen."
 
Trucks plowed snow on neighborhood streets that last year didn’t get cleared for 3 days.  But downed lines stopped the plow on some roads,  and other side streets still haven’t been touched. For residents, that leaves a lot of shoveling, but for kids out of school, the snow-covered streets are a place to play.

"It feels like 'Snowmageddon' all over again," said Jeff Roberts, a resident.
 
He was referring to last years record snowfall in the Washington region that has been nicknamed for the ages.

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