Dear friends,

Winter Storm Fern, the unofficial name for the blizzard currently sweeping through our region, is delivering dangerous amounts of ice and sleet - and record cold temperatures in the week ahead means that travel will continue to be perilous for days to come.

Click here for current Fairfax County Schools alerts.

While the snow accumulation is not at the record levels we have seen in recent years, this storm has brought crushing levels of solid ice. With extreme cold expected to persist through the week, we could continue to see downed trees, power outages, and extremely hazardous roadways for a couple days.

As of 11am Sunday, the Virginia State Police had responded to 240 crashes. Unless you have an emergency, stay off the roads!

VDOT crews are plowing and treating roads in 12 hour shifts and will continue through the week. The Northern Virginia District has over 17,000 residential streets that VDOT needs to treat, so it may be some time before your neighborhood is cleared. To monitor road conditions you can visit 511.vdot.virginia.gov, download the VDOT mobile app, or call 511 from any phone in Virginia. VDOT has more than 3,400 pieces of equipment responding to the storm - you can see a visualization, and even track plowing in your neighborhood, on VDOT's website.

Mass transit is not immune from winter weather - before venturing out, check current availability of bus and rail routes on Metro's Status and Alerts page.

Dominion Energy has crews and support personnel mobilized and prepared to respond across the Commonwealth. If you see a downed pole or wire, please report it by calling 866-DOM-HELP and stay at least 30 feet away: the line could be energized and dangerous. You can report outages and view information about outages across the state on Dominion's website.

If you are a Dominion customer and you lose power, there are three easy ways to report your outage and track your restoration time: 1) Dominion Energy mobile apps, iPhone [apps.apple.com] and Google [play.google.com]; 2) Dominion Energy website; or 3) Call 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357). You can both report outages and view information about outages across the state on Dominion's Outage Map.

Customers of Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative can log into NOVEC SmartHub, call (703) 335-0500, or text "#OUT" to 85700.

Gas service is less likely to be impacted by the storm, but home heating is critical until the storm abates. Anyone experiencing service disruption should call 844-WASHGAS, and remember that you should NEVER use an oven or range top to heat your home. For other tips on preparedness and safety during wintry conditions visit their Winter Preparedness page.

Fairfax County's Hypothermia Prevention Program, operating since 2005, offers extra resources for those struggling with homelessness during dangerous times such as this. Anyone seeking information about services can call (703) 222-0880 or one of these locations:

Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter (12970 Katherine Hanley Court, Fairfax; 571-522-6800)
Embry Rucker Community Shelter (11975 Bowman Town Drive, Reston; 703-437-1975)
Patrick Henry Family Shelter (3080 Patrick Henry Drive, Falls Church; 703-536-2155)
Next Steps Family Program (Various Locations Countywide; 703-360-1727)

Constituent Services

If you need assistance in contacting any of these needed government services during this ongoing wintry disruption, please do not hesitate to email my office at [email protected].

The Constitution of Virginia limits the number of days the Senate can meet, so only in the most severe weather conditions will we stop our work, and I intend to be in my office Monday morning ensuring the people's business moves forward.

As always it is an honor to continue to represent you.

Sincerely,