Pending

The region is bracing for heavy rain and there’s one thing emergency crews want to remember — turn around, don’t drown.

Forecasters are calling for between four and six inches of rain to fall tonight and throughout Tuesday with the approaching Tropical Storm Isaias.

“It only takes 10 to 12 inches of water to lift a car,” said Prince William County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Matt Smolsky. “Do not drive into standing water. It is very dangerous.”

The county’s emergency operations center has been active since March due to the coronavirus. The approaching storm is just one more thing emergency crews will need to monitor.

“It won’t be until 5 p.m. today or later that we’re going to know exactly what we’re going to be hit with,” added Smolsky.

https://twitter.com/NWS_BaltWash/status/1290228238279569408
As of 8 o’clock this morning, the storm was moving just offshore of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. and was moving northward, packing 70 mph winds. The storm is expected to make landfall tonight in North Carolina and then track up the coast, where Tropical Storm Watches have been issued for our area and a Tropical Storm Warning in effect for southern Maryland.

The storm is expected to bring wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph. That could cause trees to fall, and power lines to snap.

“If one tree falls down, be careful not go near it, because other trees in the immediate vicinity are also more likely to fall,” said Smolsky.

Any power line that has fallen on the ground should be treated as a live wire. Don’t go near it, and call the power company or 911 immediately, added Smolksy.

The county will continue to post updated information about its response on its website.

Stafford County tells us it will do the same. It sent us this statement via email:

We are always doing hurricane preparedness planning to include advisories to the public, storm monitoring and training exercises. Stafford County’s Emergency Management team is on top of monitoring Tropical Storm Isaias and provides ongoing updates.

If there is one aspect of this storm that Stafford needs to prepare for is the potential for flooding. We will be messaging several posts and information regarding this aspect to include reminding our community of Stafford County’s Potential Flood Zones tool for residents.

Opening shelters during coronavirus

Prince William County officials are also looking into the possibility of opening shelters at area schools should power go out and residents need emergency assistance.

Emergency crews will continue to enforce social distancing rules inside the shelter, as well as take temperatures of those entering the shelter.

If someone is running a fever, they will be isolated away from the others.

“We’re not going to turn away people in the middle of a tropical storm,” added Smolksy.

Due to Tropical Storm Isaias’ threat to our area, a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for counties along the I-95 corridor and east. Flash Flooding will likely be our biggest impact Mon eve – Tue eve. Tidal/coastal flooding (Tue and Tue eve) is also a concern. Stay informed. pic.twitter.com/ClQOF1a9Oi

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) August 2, 2020

National Weather Service forecast:

Monday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. South wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday Night
Showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 69. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Tuesday
Tropical storm conditions possible. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 82. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 2 and 3 inches possible.

Tuesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 am, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday
A slight chance of showers before 8 am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

A Virginia State Police trooper suffered minor injuries after his patrol car was rear-ended by another in Springfield early Friday, July 31.

Police stated that Trooper J. Kim was seated in his patrol vehicle and finishing up a crash investigation on Interstate 395 when a 2019 Jeep traveling south ran off the interstate and slammed into the back of the patrol car at 4:21 a.m., just north of Edsall Road.

The trooper was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries and has since been released, according to police.

Police in Fredericksburg held a public meeting to describe the steps it will apply to improve policing efforts and actions from law enforcement.

On Wednesday, July 29, Fredericksburg Police Chief Brian Layton announced several changes enacted by the department’s leadership, dubbed “8 Can’t Wait.”

The new policing policy developed under the Obama Administration bars police from actions like putting suspects in choke-holds, as well as shooting at moving vehicles.

More in a press release:

“Our goal is to build strong and transparent relationships with the communities we serve, and this event was the first in our ongoing efforts to do just that. It was important to me that we communicate updates and improvements directly to the public first so that we may answer questions and hear their feedback. I am proud of our police force for adopting this first set of changes to ensure that we are safely serving our entire community and in the best interests of everyone,” said Chief Layton, according to Cantu’s email.

A total of 60 attendees who had the opportunity to learn about the department’s complaint process, the training staff receive to provide exceptional service, the agency’s national approval, and more.

Participants were also the first to hear several major recent advancements applied by the Department.

A press release continues:

· Adoption of the “8 Can’t Wait:” is a national police reform campaign outlining eight policy changes police departments can make that greatly reduce the number of negative law enforcement incidents. Before the movement, the Department fully complied with six of the eight policies advocated. After careful research, directive revisions, and roll call training to ensure officers understood the directive changes, the Police Department now fully complies with all eight policies advocated. To see the revised directive, click here.

· Provided Update on Internal Review of Civil Unrest on May 31 – June 2: Chief Layton emphasized to participants the Police Department is committed to completing an internal review of the use of force incidents concerning police response to incidents of civil unrest from May 31 through June 2.

By the end of this week, Chief Layton will receive the completed use of force review from the Professional Standards Office and a synopsis of the after-action reports. Chief Layton intends to provide the public with a written preliminary report regarding these topics next week on Thursday, August 6.

This information will then be handed to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) for a thorough third party review. PERF plans to be in the City of Fredericksburg for initial community engagement on August 25 to 27.

· Expansion of the Citizen Advisory Panel: Chief Layton excitedly announced he is expanding the Citizens Advisory Panel and will begin taking applications on next Tuesday, August 4, to fill five spots. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring the panel is inclusive and includes people from schools/universities, young adults between the ages of 18 to 30, the business community, racial, social, or economic justice organizations, the faith-based community, and the LGBTQ community. More information about the application process will be available on the Police Department website next week.

· Department Planning a Second Informational Event on Wednesday, August 19: The Department is committed to transparency and educating the community it serves about its practices, policies, and procedures. Topics for the next Informational Event will be announced publicly at a later date.”

Participants were allowed to submit questions ahead of and during the event. Due to limited time, the department was not able to answer all the questions submitted at the event, a city spokeswoman tells us.

Fredericksburg police will provide answers to all questions submitted and make them available on their website for everyone to this week.

IKEA in Woodbridge donated 100 gift boxes to area senior care centers with residents affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

More in a press release:

“IKEA Woodbridge is excited to share the “Christmas in July” donation for residence at the Envoy of Woodbridge-Consulate Health Care.

IKEA is committed to being a good neighbor in the community. When we found out that the residence at Envoy of Woodbridge have had a hard time during this COVID 19 pandemic, missing their families, we decided to give them presents and provide the residence with a “Christmas in July” along with Santa’s helpers.

The 100 residence received a plastic container filled with a blanket and slippers to keep them warm. As well as a package of markers to bring out the artist in each of them.

The staff received bags of Swedish chocolates for all that they do to provide a wonderful stay at the Envoy.
For more information, please contact: IKEA Woodbridge, 2901 Potomac Mills Circle, Woodbridge, VA 22192 [email protected] [or by cell] (703)492-1222 x1336.”

If you are looking for ways you can help out your community like IKEA during the pandemic, please check out Potomac Local News’ Call to Action posts where you can find local volunteer organizations looking for your help.

Drivers in Fredericksburg and Stafford County will be seeing some closures and construction this week.

From a Virginia Department of Transportation press release:

In Stafford County:

Route 1: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. there will be a single lane closure on Route 1, northbound and southbound between Route 17, also known as Warrenton Road, and American Legion Road for mowing.

Route 608 (Brooke Road): Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be pipeline installation. VDOT states to expect a one-way, alternating traffic, between Andrew Chapel Road and Raven Road.

Other construction in Stafford County: Construction project to replace the route 1 bridge going over Potomac Creek was started on June 1 and is expected to finish in July 2022. Four lanes of travel will continue to be open with only periodic single lane closures required.

City of Fredericksburg:

Chatham Bridge is closed because of an improvement project taking place on the bridge. Drivers who come to that bridge will have to follow detour signs to go around the bridge closure.

The bridge will reopen to the public in October of 2021 with construction being completely finished in April of 2022, according to VDOT.

I-95 Northbound

Exit 118 to Exit 126: Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. will have a single lane closure at the mile marker 119 for bridge inspection at the Po River.

Exit 130: Monday from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. will have single lane closure close to Exit 130 for inspection of route 3 bridges over I-95.

Exit 130 to Exit 136: From Monday to Friday from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., there will be mobile single lane closures between the interchanges to collect soil samples as part of the I-95 Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing Project.

Exit 133 FULL TRAFFIC STOP: From Wednesday to Thursday, from 10 p.m. – 4:30 a.m. Starting at 10 p.m., double lane closures will occur overnight near Exit 133 for the 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension project. Between midnight and 3 a.m., there will be brief, intermittent full traffic stops to allow crews to remove an overhead sign.

All I-95 northbound traffic will be stopped up to 30 minutes at a time. Virginia State Police will assist with traffic control.

If this work zone is canceled for inclement weather, it will be rescheduled for 10 p.m. Thursday to 4:30 a.m. Friday.

I-95 Southbound

Exit 140: From Monday to Friday, 9 p.m. – 4:30 a.m., and Friday to Saturday, from 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. Single-lane closure near the Exit 140 interchange for the 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension project.

Crews will be installing a work zone barrier.

Exit 133 to Exit 130: Monday, Midnight to 10 a.m., with Monday through Friday, from 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. will have single lane closure. Crews will shift the work zone barrier as part of the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project.

Exit 130: Monday from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. will have a single lane closure due to inspection of route 3 bridges over I-95.

Exit 126 to Exit 118: Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., there will be a single lane closure at the 119-mile marker for bridge inspection at the Po River.

Exit 118 to Exit 104: Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., there will be single-lane closures between mile markers 111 and 108 for milling and paving. Access to the Exit 110 interchange ramps and Safety Rest Area at Ladysmith will remain open.

All the work above is scheduled weather permitting. Any real-time changes can be seen and tracked on 511Virginia.com.

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