Sunday, January 13, 2013
Report issued late last week says outage following June derecho in Northern Virginia and other parts of the country was "unacceptable."
The Federal Communications Commission plans to introduce new rules to strengthen the reliability and resiliency of 9-1-1 communications networks during disasters in the wake of a storm last summer that left Northern Virginia without 9-1-1 service, the federal agency said in a news release this week “These failures are unacceptable and the FCC will do whatever is necessary to ensure the reliability of 9-1-1," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said. The announcement late last week coincides with the regulatory agency's release of a report (attached with this story) about the 9-1-1 service failure June 29 to 30, after the derecho storm hit Northern Virginia and other parts of the country. The derecho that struck …
Friday, September 14, 2012
The association passed a resolution this week on improving response times for future disaster events.
The McLean Citizens Association decided on Wednesday night that Dominion Power and the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management need to improve response times to future natural disasters, based on the county's and the utility's performance after the June 29 derecho, which wiped out power to tens of thousands of homes in the Dranesville District. The association passed a resolution this week, citing the fact that many residents were not able to reach a 911 call center during a deadly heat wave that followed the storm and that the first cooling centers in McLean did not open until July 4, five days after the derecho hit the metro area. “It was pretty much a huge order of magnitude of a disaster," said Patrick Smaldore, chair of the …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The McLean Citizens Association, the community's unofficial town council, will meet on Wednesday night.
The McLean Citizens Association will meet for the first time in two months at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the McLean Community Center. Several items of interest are on the meeting's agenda, including: Patch will bring you a full report on the meeting Thursday morning. Read it first by signing up for our daily morning newsletter.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Representative from power company gives insight into response to June 29 storm
Dominion Virginia Power blamed a lack of advance preparation time for their week-long power restoration following the June 29 derecho storm, the company said in a presentation Thursday during a Town Hall meeting hosted by Del. Kaye Kory’s (D-38th) in Falls Church. [Verizon also gave a presentation at the Town Hall. Read about its presentation here.] “It is very scary to be without any kind of communication or air conditioning when we experience a million-year storm,” said Kory, who called the meeting so residents had a chance to communicate directly with the service providers. Dominion's problems stemmed largely from the storm’s sudden arrival, the company said. “This was the equivalent of a hurricane moving across the nation with little …
Communications company explains 911 outage, among others, at town hall last Thursday.
Generator problems are to blame for Verizon's response to the June 29 derecho storm, according to a presentation from a company representative Thursday during a town hall meeting hosted by Del. Kaye Kory’s (D-38th) in Falls Church. Doug Sullivan, of Verizon, said the derecho storm “downed more poles and generated more commercial trouble tickets for Verizon than Hurricane Irene” and blamed the loss of service, particularly to the 911 network, on “multiple failures cascading from the generator problems”. [Dominion Virginia Power also gave a presentation at the Town Hall. Read about its presentation here.] Due to the power outage, Verizon did not have enough information to create a plan to fix the damage and restore power to its customers. “…
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Officials point to company in formal FCC report about outages after June 29 derecho
Fairfax County officials have filed a formal report with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding widespread 911 failures in the area during and after the June 29 derecho, this time blaming the outage on the failure of Verizon’s backup power sources and damage to equipment in the area. These factors, combined with what the county deems “Verizon’s failure to give prompt and effective notice” of the failures, inhibited the county’s responsiveness, the complaint says. The rare and intense storm caused the deaths of four county residents and damaged more than 100 homes. According to a July report from the county, 911 calls received in the county increased by 415 percent in the four hours after the derecho hit at roughly 10:30 p.m…
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Latest McLean Headlines
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Thursday, August 2, 2012
Good Morning Neighbors, Massive New Development Proposed for McLean Station. Capital One shares plans for redeveloping 26 acres as part of the new Tysons Corner. Douglas Schneiderman. Avid cook, dedicated cyclist, developer who was killed in a traffic accident in East Hampton. Services are Friday. McLean BizBuzz. Mars Candy underwrites new Smithsonian exhibit. New apartments in McLean. Lessons from the Storm. Should you buy a generator? Have you voted for your favorite high school, McLean barber or hairdresser? Here's your Reader's Choice ballot.
The time to buy one is before the next storm.
McLean resident Mike Smoyer bought a portable generator three years ago after the last big storm knocked out his power for a lengthy stretch. The morning after the outage on June 29 that blanketed McLean and Northern Virginia, Smoyer went to his garage where the generator was stored in its original box. He bought it at Costco in 2009 for $900. When he set it up, he realized he didn’t have gasoline to put in the unit, and drove around town until he found an open gas station to buy five gallons. “Anyone who lives in Northern Virginia, especially near Tysons Corner like I do, knows the most power is going out is once or twice a year,” said Smoyer, president of the Digital Government Institute, a conference and training organization that …
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Latest McLean Headlines
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Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Hello Neighbors, McLean Developer Killed in New York Crash. Vice-president of Madison Homes was the victim in a head-on crash Sunday. The McLean Ear. President Obama and Virginia Gov. McDonnell visit McLean looking for campaign $$$. A generous McLean couple. Back to School: Spring Hill Expansion Underway. Fun back to school numbers. Keep up with McLean news this summer no matter where you are. Subscribe to the McLean Patch free newsletter. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Latest McLean Headlines
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Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Good Morning Neighbors, Welcome to McLean Capt. and Mrs. Horan. Volunteers renovate home for wounded Iraq war veteran. New Regulations for Child Care Providers. Two supervisors hear concerns about proposed changes. Lessons from the Storm. Keep a Checklist Handy for Emergencies
Sandra
10:25 am on Monday, January 14, 2013
Everyone keeps mentioning the 911 failure, but no one seems to notice the fact that landline phone service was down in our area for several days, which means that even if 911 was working, we wouldn't have been able to get through. Cell service was spotty and not reliable as well. Verizon has more to answer for than just 911 service. All of their phone service was affected where I live, and it was… more ›