(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is preparing to protect the District's transportation system from the heavy rains expected this weekend from Hurricane Charley. In coordination with the DC Emergency Management Agency, DDOT will respond to street flooding, tree and limbs down, traffic and street light outages and other problems from the storm or whatever cause.

In addition to DDOT's normal around-the-clock capabilities, the department will be able to dispatch on-duty and on-call crews across all operational areas, including: Urban Forestry (for fallen trees and tree limbs), Traffic Services (for damaged traffic and street lights and traffic management), Street and Bridge Maintenance (for flooding, washouts and other road damage), Neighborhood Infrastructure Maintenance Officers, NIMOs, (for damage inspection and evaluation) and the Roadway Operation Patrol (for highway accident and stranded motorist assistance).