Publisher's note: The people who got us through
Two weeks after the ice storm, a pause for gratitude
Tomorrow marks two weeks since the worst ice storm in 30 years hit Alexandria.
News moves fast. Life moves faster. Recovery is still ongoing. But I want to pause and say thank you.
To the city crews who worked 24/7 for nearly two weeks straight. Who made 20+ passes on Duke Street. Who hauled more than 5,000 loads of snow and cleared 2,000 intersections — each one taking over an hour.
To the police officers, firefighters, and first responders who still had to answer calls on roads that weren’t fully clear.
To the trash and recycling crews who got back out there as soon as they could — and are still catching up.
To the DASH bus drivers who navigated detours and ice to keep the city moving.
To the ACPS facilities team, who scraped 3-6 inches of ice off more than 100 buses and vans. Who got creative when the equipment they had wasn’t built for what they faced. Who made “Bobcat” and “Mattock” part of our vocabulary?
To the nutrition staff — 19 people who served 325 meals to families at two sites while buildings were closed.
To the teachers who pivoted to virtual learning on a day’s notice. And then another day. And another. Five days in a row.
To the bus drivers who showed up to help clear snow before they could even drive their routes.
To the neighbors who shoveled for someone who couldn’t. Who checked on the elderly couple down the street. Who signed up to be Snow Buddies.
Local historian John Porter — a former principal many of you know — told ACPS leadership he hadn’t seen anything like this since 1996 or 1997. He’s right. This wasn’t a normal snow event.
I also want to acknowledge what was hard.
Board member Ryan Reyna said it plainly at Thursday’s school board meeting: not every family has the luxury of working from home. Virtual learning days meant lost wages for some parents. Younger kids struggled to stay engaged through a screen. It was draining — for students, for families, for teachers doing double duty with their own kids at home.
“Our teachers teach best, and our students learn best when they’re physically together in a classroom,” Reyna said. He’s right about that too.
There will be time for after-action reviews. For asking what worked and what didn’t. For debating whether we need snow days built into future calendars. Those conversations matter.
But today, I just want to say: we’re getting through it.
Not perfectly. Not without frustration. But together.
Mayor Gaskins posted a video update every single day. City Manager Parajon gave a 41-minute briefing to council. Dr. Taylor highlighted photos of crews and shovelers and Bobcats at Thursday’s school board meeting. They wanted you to see the work.
I hope you did.
Last week, I wrote that everyone was doing their best — and asked if that included you. I think it did. I saw it in the comments, in the volunteers, in the neighbors who showed up without being asked.
That’s community. That’s what we talk about when we talk about Alexandria.
What you can do
Frustration spreads fast on social media. Gratitude usually doesn’t.
Flip that this week.
If someone got you through this — a neighbor, a city worker, a teacher, a bus driver — thank them publicly. Tag them. Name them. Let the good travel as far as the complaints usually do.
The recovery continues. But I hope we remember this — not just the frustration, but the people who are getting us through.
— Ryan Belmore, Publisher