Montgomery County officials acknowledged communication and coordination problems during a Tuesday afternoon county council briefing following one of the region’s most severe winter storms in a decade.
Council President, Natali Fani-González highlighted three priorities for future storms: improved coordination among county agencies competing for the same contractors, greater focus on clearing sidewalks and bus stops, and clearer public messaging urging residents to park vehicles in garages rather than on streets.
A Delayed Response
Montgomery County Public Schools requested county assistance Sunday Feb. 1 at around 2 p.m.—about a week after the storm hit—to clear sidewalks and school bus stops. Officials later said the work was not completed.
“We couldn’t make a decision to open schools if there was no enforcement of clearing sidewalks,” said Adnan Mamoom, chief of district operations for MCPS. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a way for students to safely walk to school.”
A Quest for Clarity
During the hearing, Councilmember Andrew Friedson said that because of limited time and the number of questions raised, he submitted a detailed list of follow-up questions to County Executive Marc Elrich seeking clear answers on what went wrong and how the county plans to address the issues.
“Our residents deserve better,” Friedson said, adding that he expects a response from the county executive that addresses all his constituents’ questions.
Almost 8,000 Miles Cleared. But Was It Enough?
Montgomery County Department of Transportation Director Christopher Conklin said county crews worked to clear roadways and reopen county facilities in the days following the storm, while continuing to respond to emergencies throughout the event.
“Obviously, we do our best to coordinate across the departments for these storms,” Conklin said. “There’s always room for improvement and I think having some attention on that matter might help us do a little bit better.”
The Longest Stretch of Freezing Temps in 100+ Years
Richard Madaleno, Montgomery County’s chief administrative officer described the storm as unprecedented, citing prolonged sub-freezing temperatures that turned snow into hardened ice, creating conditions the county is not fully equipped to manage.
“This is the longest stretch of temperatures below freezing in more than a century,” Madaleno noted. “We need to ask ourselves if this is a once-in-a-generation storm or something we’ll see more often due to climate change.”
County leaders said the focus now is applying lessons learned to improve communication, coordination and prioritization before the next major snowstorm.
More than a week after a winter storm, students should be back in school and neighborhood streets should be safely passable. These are the core government services that matter most. Montgomery County must do better.
The @MoCoCouncilMD hearing on Tuesday can’t come soon enough. pic.twitter.com/FLdgxcruBh
— Councilmember Andrew Friedson (@Andrew_Friedson) February 2, 2026
