BY REBECCA BENNETT — Updated at 4:01 p.m. Local residents have been told to stay in their homes for days as more than a foot of snow accumulated on just about everything it could. A National Weather Service trained spotter recorded 25.2 inches of snow somewhere in the vicinity of Home Depot. Hyattsville Life & Times staff and volunteers took their own unofficial measurements, which varied wildly. After the last flakes had fallen, we could easily find areas of anywhere between 19 and 24 inches, not including the piles of drifted or shoveled snow.
Those who attempted to shovel themselves partially out Saturday found much of the work wiped away by the evening. Despite the fact that cars have been buried and sidewalks impassable, the City of Hyattsville is still the “World Within Walking Distance,” even in a blizzard. A few stores and restaurants attempted to stay open during the storm and many neighbors wandered to snow parties down the road. Though Hyattsville residents have not lost power much as of yet, local parents offered up their homes on the moms listerv to other families if they found themselves without electricity.
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In the days before the storm, local residents didn’t just find themselves scrambling for food and safety supplies, but for winter gear and sleds. Some people were out building snow tunnels while others used their skis to get around. Furry friends that usually delighted in being outdoors did their own double take to the situation going on outside. Walking out any door left residents, and pets alike, encountering a shelf of snow on the ground, which just kept coming back.
But, not everything to do with the snow was fun, games and shoveling. Early Saturday morning, two residents found that their gazebos could not withstand the amount of snow dumped on them in such a short period.
And Sunday is now the day when the real fun-in-the-snow may start as the dig out begins. Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III is expected to hold a press conference about recovering from the winter storm at 2 p.m.
Open/happening Sunday:
- Yes! Organic Market is open
- Giant on East West Highway is open.
- The Town Center Market in Riverdale Park is open.
- Home Depot is open.
- Target is open
- Four Way Stop at the corner of 40th Avenue and Oglethorpe Street is open.
- Metro garages remain open for overnight parking until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
- Busboys and Poets is open.
Closed/canceled:
- Metro announced Metrorail service will be limited and underground on Monday. Metrobus will operate on “lifeline” service Monday and is suspended Sunday. MetroAccess service is suspended Sunday and Monday. As of midnight Sunday, we have not seen any plan for restarting service.
- All M-NCPPC Parks and Recreation facilities and offices in Prince George’s County will remain closed through Sunday, Jan. 24. All programs, events and rentals are canceled.
- The Prince George’s County Department of the Environment said that all county-collected bulky, regular trash, recycling and yard waste collections is suspended for Friday. When service resumes, collection can occur anytime between 6:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- White goods/large appliances will be collected on Wednesday instead of Monday in the City of Hyattsville.
- Services are canceled at the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville and the Hyattsville Mennonite Church
- Big Bad Woof in Hyattsville is closed
- Fleishers of Maryland is closed.
- Classes at Love Yoga are canceled.
- The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System is closed.
- Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and Store is closed.
- Classes at Yoga Space are canceled.
- Vigilante Coffee is closed.
- Mall at Prince Georges is closed.
- Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) – Code Yellow – Schools and offices are closed on Monday, January 25, 2016. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL only must report to work.
- The M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation will be closed on Monday, Jan. 25. All facilities remain closed, and all classes, activities and events are canceled.
