There are some serious issues to our aging infrastructure that needs to be addressed. I am glad to see that our Councilmember, Kenyan McDuffie, is trying to lead the charge. But he also needs to address the flooding that is occurring by the RIA Metro along the northeast part of the Avenue. Last night, rafts were deployed to rescue residents. Our infrastructure needs to evaluated and retrofitted before we can be serious about moving our community forward.

Over the last month, the power outages caused too many of our residents to be without air conditioning during hellish temperatures. This drew attention to the power grid in our City. Some people have since been calling for Pepco to bury their lines to prevent this in the future. And as you all recall with the recent rain storms, flooding has become a serious issue for many parts of RIA (take note that it isn’t just in Bloomingdale). The City’s combined sewer overflow (CSO) systems is antiquated and when these kind of floods happen, it causes raw sewage and storm water to mix and flood homes, cars, and our streets. There are some great things that other major cities that also have CSO systems are doing to prevent this type of flooding (like Philadelphia’s Green City program) recently.

There are a lot of ideas…DC needs to start coming up with their own or develop a new idea. I hope that McDuffie uses this opportunity to address the Ward’s aging infrastructure as a whole and not in just one section of it. If we continue to just address things one small piece at a time, our arms are going to get really tired playing the whack-a-mole game of fixing the issues here and then there. Putting a band-aid on the situation isn’t going to satisfy residents. Yelling at Pepco and telling them that they need to do better, isn’t going to make anyone happy.  We need solutions. Long term solutions. I am putting my faith in our new Councilmember…come hell or high water, I believe he can lead this charge.

How have you been affected?

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Corey Griffin
Chief of Staff
(202) 724-8028
cgriffin@dccouncil.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2012

Councilmember McDuffie’s Office Coordinates All Hands On Deck Effort to Address Impending Flooding in Bloomingdale Community

July 20, 2012 –In an effort to address concerns of possible additional flooding in the Bloomingdale community, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie has reached out to the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM), DC Water, Department of Public Works (DPW), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and District’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) to coordinate proactive efforts to mitigate flood damage to homes and businesses. The Councilmember has asked for an all hands on deck approach to provide relief for residents who have experienced three flash flooding events in recent weeks.

We appreciate DC Water’s response to our request for both short-term and long- term relief for affected residents and will be working closely with the agency to monitor their execution. DPW has also responded to our request for sandbags for residents in the affected area and will be distributing them in the community, between 1-9pm at 2nd and Bryant Street at the Bryant Street Pumping Station. Other resources will also be deployed to manage traffic, clean streets, clear storm drains and to assist with stalled and abandoned vehicles that impede traffic flow or prevent crews from performing clean-up related activities.

Motorists and pedestrians are advised to take every necessary precaution to ensure their safety. Please refrain from traveling through standing and running water in the event of a flash flooding event.

Staff members from Councilmember McDuffie’s office will be on site to provide any assistance necessary in advance and during the storm.

For further information, please call the Ward 5 Council point of contact at 202-368-5100.

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