Latest 2nd District Update

ALERT as of 6:00 AM on Tuesday, Jan 26: The Mayor lifted Snow Emergency Phase 3 as of 6:00 AM, on Sunday, Jan 24. Travel on City streets is permitted, but not suggested unless absolutely necessary. It is still a Snow Emergency Phase 2 (which is expected to go into tomorrow), meaning that parking on emergency snow routes is restrictred. I have spent day and night out checking on our streets and know that there is some good but also some not so good. I will continue to be in contact with those responsible and push to have more done in our area. I have attached photos of work done mainly on side streets in our area. Please see important info below. 

Topics Covered Below

1. Plowing and Treatment of Streets
2. Schools / Universities / City Government
3. Public Transportation
4. Parking
5. BGE
6. DPW - Water Service
7. DPW - Trash / Recycling / Mechanical Street Sweeping
8. Comcast - Internet Service
9. Comcast - Free Wi-Fi
10. Baltimore City Health Department Accomodations for Dialysis Transports

I continue to be in constant contact with all City agencies and the Emergency Operations Center throughout the duration of the storm response efforts, in order to address constituent requests and provide you with the most current information. Less frequent updates will also be provided on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Councilmanscott/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/Councilmanbms). 

Emergencies requiring Police, Fire, or EMS should continue to be directed to 911. Service requests, including snowy / icy roads and water outages should be directed to 311, please write down the SRN, and make me aware. I may be reached at brandon.scott@baltimorecity.gov. We will also be monitoring office voicemail at 410-396-4808. I ask that everyone try to remain safe and be patient as we move through the next few days.

Lastly, please lend a hand if possible and continually check in on neighbors that elderly, disabled, or in need. 

1- Plowing and Treatment of Streets

• Crews and contractors continue to salt and plow primary, secondary and neighborhood roads. Inspectors are monitoring contractor and crew activity. Primary roads are passible with at least one lane cleared in each direction. Secondary street task forces consisting of front-end loaders, skid-steers, and dump trucks are beginning to perform cleanup on neighborhood streets. There are over 600 snow removal vehicles currently operating, with an expected increase. These crews will continue to operate 24/7 until the vast majority of snow has been removed.
• In addition, I drove around the entire 2nd District day/night hand am aware of the situation and the fact that several neighborhood streets have not been treated yet. I share in your frustration and ask for your continued patience. Please continue to report streets that have not been treated to 311 and send them along to my office. I have communicated directly with the Mayor and the Emergency Operations Center and alerted them to every street which has not been treated.
• At this time, I can NOT provide a time frame for when each street will be treated. 

2- Schools / Universities / City Government

• Baltimore City Public Schools are closed on Tuesday. Employees are Code Red.
• MICA, Peabody Hopkins, and University of Baltimore are all closed on Tuesday.
• Univeristy of Maryland Baltimore will open on Tuesday at 10am. 
• Baltimore City Government will open on Tuesday at 10am.
• The City Council Meeting scheduled for Monday at 5pm has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 5pm.

3- Public Transportation

• Charm City Circulator - service is suspended on Tuesday.
• Harbor Connector - service will resume on Tuesday at 7am.
• MARC - limited service on Tuesday, details available HERE.
• Light Rail / Metro Subway / MTA Bus - service is expected to be gradually restored. More information is available in the MTA press release attached below.

4- Parking - please see below for a list of places confirmed for where: 1) parking is restricted;  In addition, see information below regarding parking meters. 

1. Locations you may NOT park include:
   • ​​Snow Emergency Routes - Parking is prohibited on designated Snow Emergency Routes. Snow Emergency Routes are clearly marked with black and white signs. Citizens that park along these designated routes obstruct the movement of snow plows and hinder the City's snow removal efforts. Any vehicles that are parked along these designated roadways will be relocated. Citizens with questions concerning the location of their vehicles should call 311. Please view the Snow Emergency Route Map to determine which streets are restricted, please be sure to zoom in using the zoon tool on the top left of the map. Please do not park at entrances to streets as well. 
2. ​Schools – residents should NOT park in school lots unless the school explicitly confirms that the lot is plowed and that it is open to the public. For us that is only 5001 Sinclair Lane
3. Parking Meters - parking meters are NOT being enforced on Tuesday. That said, if you are parked at a meter on a snow emergency route, you will likely be towed and relocated.

5- BGE – Outages and downed wires should be reported to BGE by calling 877-778-2222 or reported on BGE’s Website. Storm preparation information and restoration progress via BGE’s social media sites Twitter and Facebook. Please see the following tips from BGE:

• Customers with special needs, such as those who may be elderly, disabled or dependent on electricity for medical equipment, should have alternate arrangements in place should they experience an extended power outage.
• Customers should consider filling the fuel tanks of their vehicles in the event a power outage affects service to neighborhood gas stations. 
• Customers using a generator or space heater should follow manufacturer instructions and be sure to locate generators outside, in well-ventilated areas.
• Maintaining an emergency supply kit – Keep enough emergency supplies on hand for you and those in your care. Remember supplies for children, those with special needs and pets. Keep the following items readily available: Flashlights – not candles; Fresh batteries; Battery-operated clock radio; Corded telephone; Fully charged cell phone; Non-perishable foods; Water – one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days for drinking and sanitation; First aid kit; Local maps; and Blankets.
•  Make sure your mobile devices are fully charged in case of emergency

6- D​PW - Water Service – For water emergencies, please contact 311 immediately and follow-up with our office. Please see the following tips from DPW:

• Let a thin stream of cold water run from a basement faucet. The stream should be a continuous flow, about the thickness of a pencil lead.
• If your interior pipe is frozen, warm it with hot air from a blow dryer where it enters your house.
• Know the location of the water shutoff valve in your home. Check it periodically to ensure it works properly.
• Shut off water to outside faucets.
• Monitor your sump pump. A frozen drain pipe could result in a flooded basement.
• Insulate pipes in unheated parts of your house. Be alert if you have had frozen pipes in the past.
• Keep bottled water on hand.
• Consider getting a service protection policy for your exterior water/sewer lines. Baltimore has partnered with HomeServe USA to provide this low-cost protection. Please visit BaltimoreServiceRepairs.com for details.

7- DPW - Trash / Recycling / Mechanical Street Sweeping

• Trash and Recycling service will NOT be provided. If this is your regularly scheduled day, your make up day is Saturday, Jan 30.
• Mechanical Street Sweeping is suspended on Tuesday.
• NO DECISION on whether Trash / Recycling / Mechanical Street Sweeping services will occur on Wednesday. We should know more on Tuesday early-evening. 

8- Comcast - Internet / Cable Service

• My Account is the best way to stay up to speed on any potential outages and see when your service should be back up.
• You can log in online or download the XFINITY My Account app.
• If the power goes out or there's a widespread service outage, our broadband network will automatically alert us to the areas affected by a system outage.
• It's possible not all services will be restored at once and there are times when you might need to report service interruption.
• Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged and prepare an emergency plan. If you need help creating one, please click here to learn more.

9- Comcast - Free Wi-Fi - Comcast owns and operates thousands of WiFi hotspots in the region. To help residents and emergency personnel stay connected during the storm, Comcast has opened its XFINITY WiFi hotspots throughout the region to anyone who needs them – including non-XFINITY Internet customers. To access XFINITY Wi-Fi hotspots:

• For a map of XFINITY Wi-Fi hotspots, which are located both indoors and outdoors in places such as shopping districts, parks, businesses and train platforms, visit Xfinity Wi-Fi's website;
• Once at a hotspot, select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser;
• XFINITY Internet customers can sign in with their username and password, and will be automatically connected at XFINITY Wi-Fi hotspots in the future; and
• Non-XFINITY Internet subscribers should visit the “Not an XFINITY Internet Customer” section on the sign-in page to get started; and will be able to renew their complimentary sessions every 2 hours 

10- Baltimore City Health Department Accomodations for Dialysis Transports

The Baltimore City Health Department has been coordinating dialysis transports day and night. Dialysis centers have prioritized their patients according to clinical needs and BCHD is coordinating transports for the lists of individuals provided by the centers.  Patients should contact their dialysis provider in the morning to confirm their appointment. Dialysis providers are prioritizing patient appointments based on critical health needs  and the City is coordinating transport for tomorrow. The City will only be providing transportation for individuals that are referred to the transportation program by their dialysis provider.   If a dialysis patient believes that they are in crisis they should contact their physician or the provider on call for their dialysis facility.