Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Showers are likely today with another thunderstorm possible after 2 p.m. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, so bring an umbrella. Tomorrow, at least, should be a sunny day.
🚨 You need to know
Katie Waynick, the author of the popular DrainALX account, chronicled an all too familiar experience for Alexandrians during last night’s flooding.
“Another day spent sheltering in the basement from a tornado warning to wonder if I’ll have to run my baby back upstairs due to flooding,” Waynick wrote. “This shit is old.”
Waynick wasn’t alone. Alexandrians took to social media yesterday to express frustrations that, after years of stormwater investment, areas of the city were still completely submerged when a thunderstorm rolls through town.
Hey @AlexandriaVAGov we’ve been waiting for you to fix this for 10 years. Water and sewage are core responsibilities. Why is your NUMBER 1 project being delayed another two years? The community has sustained millions in damages. Fix it! #AlexandriaFlood #flooding pic.twitter.com/5iDcynuTRH
— Katie McAuliffe (@Kmca58) August 14, 2023
@fox5dc @MatthewCappucci @JenDelgadoFOX Old Town Alexandria on King Street pic.twitter.com/LbSuQkzpfQ
— Drighteous (@Drighteous) August 14, 2023
Even Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson chimed in to say there’s a sense of deja vu to reports of downed trees and flooded intersections.
This feels like deja vu, but we have trees down throughout the City and numerous flooded intersections.
Please DO NOT drive through standing water! Turn around.
Thus far, we have avoided major power outages. Our teams are throughout the City supporting residents in response. pic.twitter.com/W2PlCYoaBh
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) August 14, 2023
While there was some enthusiasm that, in some places, stormwater improvements seemed to help, Wilson pointed out that the scale of the storm last night was significantly different than some of the intense flooding from years before. Yesterday’s rain was not a stress test for the city’s stormwater improvements.
Certainly having maximum capacity is a great thing, but..
Today we had 1.6" in an hour.
7/2019 was 3.3" in an hour
7/2020 was 2.5" in a half-hour
8/2021 was 5.4" over a few hours
Completely different scale of volume/intensity.
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) August 14, 2023
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If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.
If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
Family Fun Fall Fest
Mark your calendars and join us for the Family Fun Fall Fest on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 11am – 2pm!
This FREE in-person event will be held at the Shoppes at Foxchase, located at 4641 Duke St, Alexandria, VA
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
