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Council promises oversight after residents report unplowed streets days after storm
Summary
Residents at a Prince George's County listening tour described unplowed streets and long 311 waits following heavy snow; councilmembers acknowledged gaps, promised targeted follow‑up, an after‑action report, and immediate service checks to address specific unplowed streets.
Several residents and an NBC Washington reporter told the County Council they still saw unplowed streets nearly a week after a storm, pressing the council for explanations and quicker responses.
Joseph Olmo (NBC Washington) read a resident complaint about Wellington Court and said callers reported long waits to reach 311 and inconsistent responses. Chair Crystal Oriada and Vice Chair Eric Olson acknowledged the problem, described calls and texts placed to the Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) and said they would personally follow up. Olson said a truck would go to Wellington Court "within the hour." Councilmember Tom DiNoga and others described extensive contractor and county crews working long shifts and acknowledged that cul‑de‑sacs and small pockets can be missed during a large event.
Councilmembers said the county will prepare an after‑action report and convene a task force or regional conversation to identify lessons learned and change procedures for future storms. Oriada: "There will be a conversation about lessons learned, where mistakes were, how could we do better in the future so that this mistake...don't happen again." Several district councilmembers urged residents who cannot reach 311 to contact their councilmember directly so staff can escalate specific addresses.
Next steps: Councilmembers said they would continue oversight of DPW&T’s response, collect specific unplowed‑street addresses for targeted action, and expect an after‑action report and regional planning meeting to evaluate response protocols and contractor coordination.
