Guard Transports Emergency Workers During Blizzard

February 8, 2010
Courtesy of DC National Guard
Washington, DC, United States

While a 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 firefighters 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.

With more than 30 inches of snow falling on the city Saturday, even the District's top cop was affected. A Humvee driven by DC Guard Soldiers picked up Metro Police Chief Cathy Lanier from her home in Maryland and brought her to work, allowing her to serve the District during the emergency. At one point, they transported the chief to a shooting scene in the city.

Sergeant Bobby Graham of the 273rd Military Police Company and Specialist Jerome Washington of the 547th Transportation Company started their shift shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday. 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, firefighters, doctors and other critical emergency personnel made it to their jobs.  

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. Sergeant 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 snowstorm 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 Sergeant 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.