Washington, D.C. has been plagued with a strenuous and slow recovery process from the snowstorm that hit the District just over a week ago, largely as a result of the extreme cold.
Unfortunately, the extreme cold has turned lots of the snow that was initially plowed to the side, or didn’t even get plowed at all at first, has become frozen solid, turning into what is now being called ‘snow-crete’.
The ‘snow-crete’ pileups across the city have become so severe in some areas that road conditions are clearly unsafe for both drivers and pedestrians alike.
In response to this dangerous situation, the folks from the Washington DC Snowball Fight Association have developed a new tool that will help Washingtonians support each other by allowing them to report uncleared crosswalks and establish small groups of volunteers to help clear the way.
What is Snow Posse?
Snow Posse is an online tool that allows D.C. community members to report unclear crosswalks throughout the District on an interactive digital map.
When a ‘snow report’ is placed, other community members will see the report pop up on the ‘Snow Posse’ tool, at which point they can volunteer to either start or join an existing ‘Snow Posse’ to help clear the reported snow.
In other words, the ‘Snow Posse’ depends on community members not only being willing to report uncleared crosswalks when they see them, but also on people volunteering to help clear these public roads on their own accord.
How do you join a ‘Snow Posse’?
Joining an active ‘Snow Posse’, or even starting a ‘posse’ of your own, is as simple as clicking a button on the ‘Snow Posse’ online tool.
When looking at the tool’s interactive map, simply click on one of the ‘snow reports’, and you’ll be able to ‘Start a posse’ or ‘Join the posse’ if someone has already started clearing the crosswalks!
Why you should join ‘Snow Posse’ today
Washington, D.C. residents need to, now more than ever, come together in support of the local community to ensure our collective safety and well-being.
Naturally, there’s a reasonable reluctance that comes when being asked to volunteer your personal time to help clear public walkways, but the reality remains that many crosswalks and footpaths around the District remain uncleared and will remain a risk for at least another week when the weather is expected to be warm enough to finally melt through the snow-crete.
So, if you have the time and ability, please consider checking out the ‘Snow Posse’ platform and using it to help our community maintain its safety and well-being during these extreme conditions.