National Guard drafted to help clear DC snow and ice

The D.C. National Guard joined the effort to remove dangerous snow and ice after the District reached out for help.

Responding to a formal request made by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, guard members will chip away at the frozen snow making walking difficult at schools and their surrounding neighborhoods.

D.C. students returned to school Thursday, but many walkways remain covered with treacherous snow and ice that can’t melt in the sub-freezing temperatures.

At a bus stop on busy H Street Northeast Friday evening, National Guard members with shovels and other tools cleared a path. The bus shelter was cleared of snow by Metro, but the walk to get there remained icy and dangerous. Sidewalks along the nearby building that used to house an AutoZone were untouched.

“Our priority is to ensure that District students and educators can return to a safe learning environment as quickly as possible,” interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard said in a news release.

All guard members will have special cold-weather gear to participate in the mission, the release said.

National Guard troops from around the country deployed to D.C. last year as part of the Trump administration plan to make D.C. “safe and beautiful.”

MedStar reports injuries from impacts with hard surfaces

Icy sidewalks lead to slipping and falling, and the concrete-hard, packed snow is causing injuries reflective of an impact with a very hard surface, said Dr. Candice Jordan, chair of emergency medicine for Medstar Health.

“Because it’s so slippery, you’re falling with so much more speed and velocity,” Jordan said. “So yes, you’re hitting the ground harder. So, for our elderly patients, you’re much more likely to break things. Broken hips, wrists are the most common thing we see in the older population. Our younger folks, we’ll be seeing a lot of ankle fractures.”