Isabel in DC


The federal government in the Washington area will be closed on Thursday because of bad weather anticipated afternoon arrival of Hurricane Isabel, the Office of Personnel Management announced this evening.

(snip)
Metro officials also announced that they will close both the subway and bus system at 11 a.m. tomorrow, when winds from Hurricane Isabel are expected to approach 40 mph, taking the unprecedented step out of concern that the gusts would endanger its 1.1 million passengers and blow them off elevated train platforms or lash them at bus stops.

Earlier in the day, Metro had said it would close above-ground stations if the wind got up above 40 mph. Then, they would close the whole system if the wind got up above 40 mph, because of the confusion that having some of the trains run would cause. I think it has more to do with previous weather emergencies.

After the President's Day snowstorm, where the DC area got a good foot and a half of snow, Metro opened with only 40 percent of capacity available. Despite the roads not being clear, the Federal Government opened anyway. DC was insane. Metro was a madhouse. No sidewalks clear, most streets still messy. Metro got a lot of flak from the government for not pulling equipment off the roads the night before, so it didn't get snowed in. So, this time, they're going to shut down at 11:00 AM. This way, the Federal Government has to close. Or leave its employees stranded in the District.

Why should the federal government shut down, and give all those lazy bureaucrats a day off? Because it's the largest employer in the DC area, that's why. It has a responsibility to the community to not put more stress on resources that will be at their limit tomorrow. If Metro shut down in the middle of a workday, I'd been sleeping on the floor of my cubicle. Might give us a chance to try all of the "Shelter-in-place" plans we've been working on. But I wouldn't be at home to take care of my wife, my dog, and my home.

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