Thursday, January 17, 2013

Residents of the National Capital Region Encouraged To Take Common Sense Steps to Prepare If Attending the Presidential Inauguration


Local government officials from across the National Capital Region are asking residents to take common-sense steps to prepare for the upcoming 57th Presidential Inauguration. Inaugural activities will take place beginning on Sunday, Jan. 20, through Monday, Jan. 21, with the public inaugural ceremonies scheduled for Monday, Jan. 21.

The closer you live to or work in the District of Columbia will increase the potential impacts you may experience due to the inaugural activities. Residents and visitors to D.C. and the inauguration are encouraged to consider the following:

Make a Plan
·         Consider teleworking on Jan. 21 if possible. Carpool if you are traveling into the District of Columbia. Cars will be restricted from some parts of the city and it will be difficult to find parking.
·         Although Jan. 21 is a federal holiday and a holiday in many jurisdictions, some localities are enforcing weekday parking regulations. Be sure to plan ahead.
·         Bring your patience because there will be delays getting to your destination. Some roads, bridges and highways may be closed temporarily, and mass transit systems will be extremely crowded. http://inauguration.dc.gov/page/getting-there
·         Be ready to walk long distances in the District of Columbia because some Metro stations and roads will be closed for inaugural events. www.wmata.com/getting_around/metro_events/inauguration.cfm

Stay Informed
·         Visit www.inauguration.dc.gov to get information about road, bridge and highway closures, parking restrictions and mass transit plans.
·         Sign up to D.C. Alerts for real-time information on Jan. 21 about road closures, weather and more. Subscribe at www.inauguration.dc.gov. Receive emergency notifications, alerts and information about the 2013 Inauguration from the United States Park Police. www.capitalregionupdates.gov/clients/4063/517915.pdf
·         Information also will be available prior to and during Inauguration day on social media sites such as Twitter. To see Inauguration related material on Twitter, use #inaug2013. Some of the Twitter sites being used to communicate information from the Inaugural public safety and security partners include:
§  District Department of Transportation - @ddotdc
§  Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies - @jccic2013
§  Joint Task Force-National Capital Region - @JTFNCR
§  National Terrorism Advisory System - @NTASAlerts
§  Office of the D.C. Mayor - @MayorVinceGray
§  Secret Service - @SecretService
§  U.S. Department of Homeland Security - @DHSgov
§  WMATA - @metroinaug

Be Prepared
·         If you plan to attend any inaugural events, consider whether you can stand outside in large crowds for an extended period and whether you are ready for long delays getting home afterwards.
·         Bring with you any medications that you need because there will be very long delays in getting to and from events.
·         There will be a heightened level of security for the inauguration. All parade and event attendees are subject to a thorough security screening before entering any of the Inaugural event sites. Many items are also prohibited. Visit http://inauguration.dc.gov/page/spectator-information for more details.

The National Capital Region – which is comprised of 11 local jurisdictions, two states and the District of Columbia – prepares for disasters collaboratively across jurisdictional boundaries, bringing together elected officials, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and public health personnel, along with the nonprofit and private sectors.
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About the National Capital Region
The NCR encompasses the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia, including the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William in Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George’s in Maryland, which include the municipalities of Bowie, College Park, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt, Rockville and Takoma Park.

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