Washington, D.C., is grappling with the fallout of a punishing snowstorm that has left its citizens stranded and frustrated.
Since Sunday’s storm dumped 6.9 inches of snow and sleet on the city, residents have faced treacherous roads, sidewalks, and parking areas that remain largely uncleared.From families navigating icy hills to reach hospitals to others relying on neighbors for help, the situation has exposed significant gaps in municipal response.
The issue has sparked growing frustration among D.C. residents who feel neglected by those tasked with ensuring their safety. While the city’s inaction is glaring, the community spirit and grit of everyday folks stepping up to help cannot be ignored.
Many residents voiced their struggles to the Daily Caller on Thursday, alleging that city officials have done little to address their concerns.
Take the harrowing story of Zach Horton from Spring Valley in northwest D.C. He had to guide his pregnant wife, Courtney, down an icy hill—layered with an inch of ice over snow—to reach a hospital early Monday while she was in labor. Thankfully, they welcomed a healthy baby girl, but the ordeal was far from over.
Post-delivery, the Hortons faced the daunting task of returning home with a newborn while worrying about their four other children, one of whom has a rare genetic condition known as FOXG1 syndrome. Their street remained unplowed days later, with only a few bags of salt tossed up the road Thursday morning as a token gesture. Zach’s words cut deep: “Good neighbors pitch in when the city doesn’t.”
Neighbors indeed rallied for the Hortons, with one using a truck to ferry their kids to school, another sending a nanny to help, and yet another deploying their own children to shovel the driveway. Even getting Courtney and the baby home required a neighbor’s all-terrain vehicle due to frozen streets. If this doesn’t show the failure of city planning, what does?
The Hortons reached out to city agencies for help, dialing every number they could find tied to road services, only to hit voicemail or encounter indifference. One 311 operator’s alleged response—“Don’t know, not our problem”—sums up the bureaucratic shrug many residents feel they’ve received. This isn’t governance; it’s abandonment.
Elsewhere in D.C., frustration boils over as residents document the neglect online. A Reddit post from Wednesday night lamented that Parker Street NE “hasn’t been plowed even once,” with photos showing asphalt buried under snow and cars trapped. Another user called sidewalks and crosswalks “unacceptably dangerous,” highlighting walls of snow that pedestrians must climb over just to cross a street.
Then there’s the galling sight of a city-branded truck prioritizing a speed trap battery swap over clearing roads, as one resident pointed out to the Daily Caller. This kind of misplaced focus—ensuring ticket revenue while ignoring stuck citizens—feels like a slap in the face to anyone struggling to get by post-storm. It’s the government prioritizing profit over people, plain and simple.
Other stories paint a similar picture of community resilience amid official neglect. One resident, stuck in Eastern Market after returning from a weekend outside the city, needed a Marine named Jackson Perkins to push his car free. Perkins, who reportedly made a video offering help to drivers across D.C., became a lifeline where the city was nowhere to be found.
That same resident, speaking on Thursday, couldn’t even park near his home and had to book a hotel blocks away due to snow-clogged streets. With another nor’easter looming this weekend, his uncertainty is palpable. It’s a stark reminder that when government fails, individuals bear the burden.
Photos from January 29 show backhoe loaders finally clearing snow on Massachusetts Avenue, per Alex Wong of Getty Images, but for many, this is too little, too late. Pedestrians are still seen trudging through snow-covered sidewalks on the same avenue. Why does it take days to address what should be a basic municipal duty?
The looming threat of another storm this weekend only heightens the anxiety for D.C. residents already stretched thin. Many, like the man stuck at a hotel, are left wondering how they’ll cope if the city’s response remains this sluggish. It’s a cycle of neglect that needs breaking.
Even the National Guard has been spotted helping, with one resident sharing a photo of three Guardsmen pushing a stranded car free on Wednesday. While their assistance is commendable, it begs the question: why are military personnel filling gaps that city snowplows should handle? This isn’t a war zone; it’s the nation’s capital.
The city of Washington, D.C., has yet to respond to requests for comment from The Daily Caller, leaving residents’ grievances unanswered. Stories like these—from the Hortons’ icy trek to neighbors and service members stepping in—show a community holding itself together despite municipal shortcomings. If this storm has taught us anything, it’s that government will always be unreliable at best.
