Winter Storm Warning

Here are a few important notices from the Office of Emergency Management of Anne Arundel County.

Current Notices include:

Office of Emergency Management - Governor O'Malley declared a State of Emergency for all Maryland counties and Baltimore City as of 4 p.m. yesterday. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning starting 7 p.m. tonight. The storm will enter our area tonight between 5 and 9 p.m. The most likely tracking scenario calls for 4 - 8" of total accumulations. There is still possibilities of a tracking change which would increase total accumulations to 12-18". The heaviest period of snowfall will be between midnight tonight and daybreak tomorrow. Heavy wet snow is expected to cause power outages due to downed trees, limbs and utility lines. Roads will be snow covered and slippery after midnight into tomorrow before the snow ends in the afternoon. Minor flooding will occur due to high tides and northeasterly winds. 

The Emergency Operations Center will activate at 10:00 p.m. Wednesdaynight to coordinate the County's response to the storm.  Department of Public Works Highways crews and the Department Operations Center (DOC) are responding to the storm as appropriate.  Approximately 63 County trucks and up to 100 contractor vehicles are available for snow removal operations. 

Department of Public Works (DPW) - As a reminder, the Department of Public Works (DPW) published Level of Service for the forecasted storm is as follows: 

• Bare pavement vehicular access on County-maintained arterial and collector roadways within 24-36 hours AFTER the end of the storm;
• Passable, but not bare pavement, vehicular access on County-maintained local roadways (ie, residential streets, culs-de-sac, dead-ends, etc) within 2-3 days AFTER the end of the storm.
• Citizens are urged to take the necessary steps to ensure their safety during and following the storm and to assist DPW crews as they continue clearing roads.
• Maintain an adequate supply of household necessities, including medications, heating fuel, food and water.
• Reschedule appointments prior to or after the expected storm event.
• Park all vehicles in a driveway whenever possible.  If off-street parking is not available, please work with your neighbors to park all vehicles on one side of the road only.  If the plows cannot safely access your street due to on-street parking, service will be delayed until adequate access is available or until smaller equipment becomes available.
• Children and drivers should stay clear of plows and other heavy equipment so that plow operators to perform their work efficiently and safely.
• Please clear sidewalks in front of your residence of snow and ice.
• Remove all recycling containers, trash cans and other obstacles from the street to allow plows access.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools - After school programs will be monitored tonight and schedules adjusted on a case by case scenario. The decision for school closures tomorrow will be made this evening around 8 p.m.

Animal Control - Animal Control has cancelled their Weekly Rabies Clinic that was scheduled for Thursday - February 13th 2014 - due to the significant snow storm that is predicted for tonight and tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience and anticipate resuming the Weekly Clinic next Thursday. 

Budget Town Hall - Due to the predicted snow storm, Anne Arundel County is cancelling the upcoming Town Hall Meeting to discuss the County Budget at Lake Shore Elementary School in Pasadena on Thursday February 13.  This meeting will be rescheduled and a notification will be sent out as soon as a new date is determined. 

County Executive’s Office - Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman urges citizens to prepare as winter weather is predicted for our area.   

“The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the region with significant snow accumulation possible.  My first concern is always the safety of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.  I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to stay indoors and only venture out on the roadways when absolutely necessary,” advised County Executive Neuman.  “The safest thing we all can do is to stay off the roads and allow the Department of Public Works crews to do their work.” 

Please utilize the following winter weather safety tips in preparation and during the impending storm:

·         Use extreme caution while driving. 

·         Keep a safe following distance between you and the car in front of you during slick conditions, maintain low speeds and turn on your lights to increase visibility.

·         Brake gently to avoid skidding.

·         If you must travel, clear all snow from your vehicle, and make sure your vehicle is properly winterized and equipped with all-season or snow tires.

·         Carry a survival kit:  flashlight, non-perishable food such as protein and/or energy bars, water, sand or other traction material and a shovel in your vehicle.

·         Dress appropriately for the cold weather by wearing coats, hats (as much as 50% of body heat is lost through the head), scarves or knit masks to cover the face and mouth, and gloves or mittens.

·         Dress in layers of loose-fitting clothes to wick moisture from the body, including extra socks.  Wool, silk or polypropylene inner layers hold in more body heat than cotton.

·         If shoveling snow, take frequent breaks to avoid over exertion.

·         Drink plenty of water.  Avoid alcohol and caffeine; they dehydrate the body and can cause the heat to be lost more rapidly, increasing the risk of hypothermia.

·         Never leave space heaters unattended.

·         Always use generators outdoors, away from doors, windows and vents.  Follow manufacturer’s instructions for safe usage.

·         NEVER use generators inside a home, garage, crawl space or other enclosed or partially enclosed space.   

·         Finally, remember to check on elderly or disabled family members, friends and neighbors.  Please bring pets inside.  If it is too cold for you, it is too cold for them.

·         For more information, contact the County’s Office of Emergency Management at 410-222-0600.

Bracing for Hurricane Season

The National Weather Service is still standing beside their predictions for this year's hurricane season. Hurricane season started in June, but the peak is generally the months of August through October. This year is forecasted to be a "above normal" season. This is what is predicted:

                                           - 13 to 19 named storms
                                           - 6 to 9 hurricanes
                                           - 3 to 5 major hurricanes

A season that starts off early with named storms is generally considered to be an active year. Although the storms didn't produce much, they formed early with no further storms as the summer progressed. So far we've seen, Tropical Storms Andrea, Barry, Chantel and Dorian. Another determination of season activity is variations of weather patterns like El Nino and La Nina. A La Nina season will enhance the severity of the hurricane season and this year has only a 19% chance of a La Nina. An El Nino will suppress  hurricane season and our chance for that is only 8%.

Generally our area isn't too greatly impacted by large storms, but occasionally some of them make their way into the Chesapeake Bay as in the case of Hurricane Isabel. When any storm is being predicted for our area, stay tuned to weather information and take precautions. The most important thing is always safety.

Kayak Rack and Volunteers for Community Center Board

Morning Selby,           Two Topics

1.    Kayak Rack Rentals – There are still available Slots on the Kayak Rack, located near our Boat Ramp.

If you would like to store your Kayak or Small Boat in this Community Rack please complete the attached form (form is located on the website) and check to:

Selby Community Assoc., Inc.

P.O. Box 599

Mayo, MD. 21106

Michael Bouchard, the Beach & Park Chair, will administer the assignments of the Slots and is the point of contact for the use. mlbouchard1@verizon.net

           

2.    Community Center Committee – We are in the process of forming this Committee to draft a defined set of Rules and Regulations for the use of the new building.

If you are a Selby Property Owner and would like to be a “Volunteer Member” of this Committee please reply to this email (email SelbyBay@gmail.com).

This is a very important position and function that will have a lasting impact on the Selby Community for years to come.

The Committee will be chaired (led by) a least one Selby Board Member.  

Please consider this position and how your contribution of time and ideas will benefit our Community.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

GBA Assessment with Anne Arundel County Police

This month the SCA is hosting Lt. Alban and Detective Brookman of the Anne Arundel County Police  to speak on the GBA MOBB gang and the tagging that seems to be just about everywhere in our community and local area. There will be a question and answer session following their presentation.

Where: Southern District Police building on Stepney's Lane (just past the post office but not as far as the library)
When: Tuesday, 7 May
Time: 7:00pm (gang presentation will begin at 7:15pm)

Please see the Gang Page for more information about local gangs.

Heavier Crabs This Year

It was mentioned on the news the other day that crabs will be bigger this year. The absorption of carbon pollution in the Bay will slowly encourage growth in the blue crabs in teh next 75 to 100 years. Oddly enough, the pollution that is a catalyst for the crab growth is a retardant for an oyster. In the Bay, crabs eat oysters which puts a chink in the food chain if one is growing faster and the other slower. Millions of dollars have been allocated to restore the oyster populations. Oysters are important to the Bay because they filter the water. A strong population of oysters in the Bay keeps the water healthy. And what about those super-sized crabs? Don't start drooling yet. The super-sizing refers to the shell and not the meat.

Washington Post article

Living A Greener Life

More and more people are understanding the part they play in our environment. Greener ways of doing things are taking the place of once was the norm. Take recycling for instance. If you grew up in the 70's, then do you remember recycling anything? Probably not.  Kids today are very familiar with their 3 R's ~ Reuse, Recycle and Reduce. Recycling has become the new norm and slowly other ways of helping out our environment are making their way into the main stream. Living on the Chesapeake Bay, we have a bigger reason to learn how to live more green. Almost everything we do outside impacts the largest estuary in North America, from how we grow our gardens to how we clean up after our pets. Folks are slowly learning about rain barrels and composting. Here in Selby we have yet ANOTHER reason to learn the green arts ~ once a week trash collection! Last summer was horrible and I have little reason to believe this year will be better. Slowly, through blog posts we'll learn all about ways of living greener lives that may actually save your bank account as well as save our precious Bay and our Earth.

Blue Angels Grounded

Every year at the Naval Academy commencement the Blue Angels perform a show. Being so close to Annapolis, Selby can enjoy most of the air show too as well as practice from the beach. Boats can be taken into the river or up to the Severn River to get a better view. We won't be getting a show this year though. Due to funding cuts, the Blue Angels have been grounded. The last time this happened was during the Korean War. Most of the Blue Angels shows have already been cancelled until further notice.