DC Guard Supports Emergency Response During Historic Blizzard
WASHINGTON, DC (02/08/2010)(readMedia)— While an historic blizzard forced much of the National Capital Region to spend Saturday, Sunday and Monday at home, members of the District of Columbia National Guard hit the snow-covered streets in Humvees to ensure critical personnel made it to work on time.
By Monday, the DC Guard and its crews had finished nearly 200 missions in support of the District’s emergency response, transporting Metro police and firemen to work and critical medical personnel from their homes to hospitals. While the federal government closed today, the DC Guard was prepared to continue its mission in support of the city through Thursday.
At the request of DC Metro Police Chief Cathy Lanier, a Humvee crew from the DC National Guard transported several critical DC Metro Police personnel for response to an incident. They assisted with transporting Assistant Chief Alfred Durham and members of the department’s Force Investigation Team, not Chief Lanier.
The incident being investigated involved a police shooting Saturday morning. According to a police report, officers from the Seventh District and personnel from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the incident in the 3300 block of 18th Street, SE, for the report of a suicide attempt. Upon arrival at that location, officers and fire personnel made unsuccessful attempts to gain entry into an apartment. Subsequently, officers and fire personnel forced their way inside. Upon entry, an unidentified adult male armed with a knife lunged toward members of the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
The officers verbally ordered the suspect to drop his weapon; however the suspect failed to comply. The officers fired their service weapons at the suspect, striking him.
The suspect was transported by personnel from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department to an area hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Chief Lanier said the DC National Guard’s assistance with this incident and throughout the storm was invaluable.
Army Sgt. Bobby Graham of the 273rd Military Police Company and Spec. Jerome Washington of the 547th Transportation Company started their shift shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday morning. With the District’s public transportation system down, the pair encountered few moving vehicles as they made their way toward the Metro Police Department’s Fourth District Headquarters.
“It’s all ice out there now,” Graham said. “It’s only 14 degrees outside.”
Pointing to an abandoned vehicle blocking a side street, Washington explained that snow is just one of the obstacles they face in a snow emergency. “Once they get stuck, jammed up like that, you’ve got to back up and find another way around. It cost us a lot of time.”
Nearing their destination, Graham coaxed the Humvee up a snow-covered hill near Catholic University. The fact that the vehicle could make it up the hill is a definite sign of improvement.
With white-out blizzard conditions, Washington said, “We wouldn’t have tried that yesterday.”
More than 100 Capital Guardians defied the weather and responded to the snow emergency in the District. The group deployed teams of drivers in Humvees across the city to help critical personnel make it to work. Working 12-hour shifts, the teams ensured that police officers, firemen, doctors and other critical emergency personnel made it to their jobs.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be here,” she said, “and I wouldn’t be going home. They’ve been a real blessing.”
At Andrews, the 113th Wing kept its 24/7 vigilance at Andrews AFB with F-16s on alert throughout the storm.
Back in the District, the Capital Guardians got their first tasking-an officer just completing his overnight shift needed a ride to his home near Fort DuPont Park. Sgt. David Young said while on duty, he saw the same problems encountered by Graham and Washington.
“We’ve seen people getting stuck all night,” he said. “People who’ve got no business being out driving, especially in small cars. They can’t clear the snow, and they get stuck. I guess people get stuck inside, get cabin fever, and feel like they need to get out and drive somewhere. Then they get stuck and flag us down during our missions.”
After dropping off Young, the two headed back to headquarters. On the way, they encountered two scenes they’ve seen time and again since the snow storm hit - a stuck vehicle, and a driver struggling to overcome icy road conditions. Ironically, a plow truck was stuck in a snow drift at the bottom of a hill, with a tow truck trying to free it. The incident blocked traffic in both directions, causing another driver to turn around and try to find another route. But this driver couldn’t make it up the hill, spinning her wheels in a failed attempt to get traction. It took assistance from Graham, Washington, a civilian and a DC Guard public affairs officer covering the story to get Army Sgt. Cynthia White, a nurse at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, back on her way to Fort Belvoir, Va.
With another storm expected to hit the capital region Tuesday, these scenes may become commonplace for the rest of the week. If needed, the DC Guard will be there again to help its fellow District citizens cope with the emergency.