The Great Blizzard of 2010 Continues

The "snow emergency" here is turning serious. Local governments are suspending snowplowing operations due to conditions, and the local power utility company is halting efforts to restore power to customers.

Local schools systems are announcing they will be closed for the rest of the week. I expect the Federal government will follow suit, even though the Office of Personnel Management must be under considerable pressure to avoid a five-day shutdown in a week that follows a Friday early closure and precedes a Monday Federal holiday.

Reportedly, one reason that OPM is holding firm on the government shut-down is the slip-and-fall injury that a White house staffer sustained on Monday. Frankly, it's better for people to stay home and out of the way of recovery efforts.

From Fox News: Too Dangerous to Plow, D.C., Area Governments Halt Snow Removal:

The National Weather Service on Wednesday used the phrases "extremely dangerous" and "life-threatening blizzard" to describe conditions in Baltimore and Washington, which have both set records this week for the snowiest seasons ever. Wind gusts have reached as high as 60 miles per hour as the blizzard passed through the region.

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The Washington Post reports that Pepco, the local electric utility, has suspended repair operations for the 3,500 homes in the Washington and Maryland suburbs that are still without power after the weekend's storms.

Alexandria, Va., emergency services also issued a warning, "Due to blizzard conditions and near-zero visibility on the roadways, to protect the safety of city employees and residents, all snowplowing operations have been temporarily suspended until weather conditions improve."

At least somebody is having fun. I just saw a local TV news report about kids snowboarding off the roof of a house.