The Best Ways to Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey

(Click on the image for the Consumer Reports article)

• Don’t get tricked into giving to a bogus charity or one that isn’t really in a position to assist
• "The charities that most deserve your donations at this time are those that actually are in a position to help on the ground".
• Lists of highly rated groups: BBB and Give.org, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch

Get Your Due From a Homeowners or Flood Insurance Claim

(Click on the image for the Consumer Reports article)

• With Hurricane Harvey bearing down on the Texas Gulf Coast and threatening to dump up to 36 inches of rain, it’s a good time to review your homeowners insurance and flood coverage.
• That doesn’t just apply to Texas residents. Even if you’re out of the hurricane’s path, another storm or some other disaster could hit your residence anytime. So find out what you’ll need to do to restore your home and replace damaged belongings as quickly as possible.
• Once the crisis has passed, get in touch with your insurance company or the agent who sold you the policy. The insurance company will assign you an insurance adjuster who will come to examine the damage you’ve suffered. Then the adjuster will document and communicate your losses to the insurance company.

Turning apple cores and banana peels into ‘gold’

(Click on the image for Arelis Hernández's Washington Post report)

• The pile of fruit and vegetable scraps bakes for weeks under a breathable cover, eventually reaching temperatures above 160 degrees. Broken down by microbes and carefully monitored by employees of the governments of Maryland and Prince George’s County, the waste transforms into a fine brown dirt that can be sold in bulk as garden compost for $12.50 per cubic yard.
• The nutrient-rich mixture is a valuable commodity for Prince George’s, which is hoping eventually to make a profit selling the mixture to urban farms, home gardeners and larger clients (current customers include the White House, the University of Maryland and Denison Landscaping).

Beltway Speed Camera at Suitland Rd: $291,560 Worth of Tickets in July

(Click on the image for current information posted at end of month)

• Violators must pay a $40 fine. Automated speed enforcement violations are considered civil violations; therefore, no license points are assessed.
• A Trooper issued ticket for "Exceeding highway work zone speed limit" is $290 plus 1 point.

Supermarkets in SE may not improve, Gray says after meeting Safeway execs

(Click on the image for Paul Schwartzman's Washington Post report)

"Gray said Safeway executives offered no information to make him believe that the chain would take immediate steps to improve."

DC Homeowners Can Get Up to $500 Rebate for Exterior Security Camera

(Click on the image for Mark Segraves' News4 report)

• Over 7,100 exterior cameras installed in over 2,500 homes and businesses
• 9 documented cases where these cameras have helped police investigations
• Only D.C. has this program
• D.C. recommends using a 3 megapixel, 2048x1536, camera

Survey of Speeding Attitudes & Behaviors

(Click on the image for the survey)

Some highlights from the survey:

• the majority of drivers, about four out of five, believed driving at or near the speed limit makes it easier to avoid dangerous situations and reduces the chances of a crash.
• an overwhelming majority, 91 percent, agreed with the statement that “everyone should obey the speed limits because it’s the law.”
• almost half of all drivers, 48 percent, said that it was very important that something be done to reduce speeding on U.S. roads.
• however, despite acknowledging the safety benefits of speed limits and reasons drivers should follow them, more than a quarter of those surveyed admitted “speeding is something I do without thinking” and “I enjoy the feeling of driving fast.” Further, sixteen percent felt that “driving over the speed limit is not dangerous for skilled drivers.”
• male drivers admitted to speeding more compared to females
• drivers with the least experience behind the wheel, 16-20 years old, admitted to speeding more frequently than any other age group.
• more than one in ten, 11 percent, of drivers age 16 to 20 reported at least one speeding-related crash in the past five years, compared to 4 percent for the population as a whole.

Application for Homestead Tax Credit Eligibility

(Click on the image for the form)

If the tax bill for your Principal Residence does not include a Homestead Tax Credit, you ought to see if you are eligible for this credit by filling out the application at the link. It could save you a significant amount on your next tax bill.

DC Councilmember Prompts Safeway Promise to Improve Service

(Click on the image for Delia Goncalves' WUSA 9 report)

Residents complain:

• "The community feels like this place doesn’t have the best interest of the community at heart.”
• “I don’t like coming here anymore because I hate standing in the lines waiting”

Choosing Medical Care Wisely

(Click on the image for Choosing Wisely)

Choosing Wisely aims to promote conversations between clinicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is:

• Supported by evidence
• Not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received
• Free from harm
• Truly necessary

To help patients engage their health care provider in these conversations and empower them to ask questions about what tests and procedures are right for them, Consumer Reports has developed patient-friendly materials based on the specialty societies’ lists of recommendations.
Download the new Choosing Wisely app to your iPhone and have over 500 specialty society recommendations and 150 patient-friendly resources at your fingertips (iPad and Android versions coming soon).

Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles

(Click on the image for the NTSB study)

Focused on 5 safety issues pertaining to the effective application of proven and emerging countermeasures for speeding: speed limits, data-driven approaches for speed enforcement
automated speed enforcement, intelligent speed adaptation, and national leadership
Among the findings:

• Speed—and therefore speeding—increases crash risk in two ways: (1) it increases the likelihood of being involved in a crash, and (2) it increases the severity of injuries sustained by all road users in a crash.
• Automated speed enforcement (ASE) is also widely acknowledged as an effective countermeasure to reduce speeding-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries.
• The current level of emphasis on speeding as a national traffic safety issue is lower than warranted.

Among the recommendations: Amend current laws to remove operational and location restrictions on the use of automated speed enforcement, except where such restrictions are necessary to align with best practices.

Does Speeding Really Get You There Any Faster?

(Click on the image for the Lifehacker article)

My trip to babysit my grandson who lives in Bethesda is about 50 miles, one way. So, driving the speed limit of 55 MPH takes me about 55 minutes. If I speed at 65 MPH, the trip would take about 46 minutes saving me about 8 minutes (if I don’t get stopped for speeding or have an accident).

Is the 8 minute saving worth the risk? Do I get there more relaxed and attentive if I don't speed?

Two Reasons for Sewer Backups: Inflow and Infiltration

(Click on the image for the video)

From The Pipeline:

• Infiltration is "the excess water that sometimes seeps, trickles, or flows into old or damaged collection systems from the surrounding soil. For example, high groundwater or water remaining in the soil after rain or snow often can infiltrate mainline pipes, joints, service laterals, connections, and other parts of a collection system that have deteriorated, cracked, sagged, or collapsed."
• "What is inflow? Additional unwanted water also can enter collection systems from above-ground sources. During storms or snow thaws, for example, large volumes of water may flow into systems through leaky manhole covers or combined stormwater/wastewater connections. In addition, private residences may have roof, cellar, yard, area, or foundation drains inappropriately connected to sanitary sewers. Any extra water flowing into wastewater collection systems from above ground sources, either intentionally or unintentionally, is referred to as inflow."
• [Per the video, inflow has an immediate impact on the collection system. Infiltration is slower to impact but continues after the rain stops.] 

Basement Sewer Backups from WSSC's Point of View

(source: WSSC General Manager’s Report June 21, 2017, page 7)

Based on this WSSC chart, 63% (436 of 688) of basement backups from July 2016 through May 2017 were due to service line problems. The service line from the property line to the house and sewer pipes within the house are the homeowner’s responsibility. WSSC is responsible for the portion of the service line from the main to the property line.
From WSSC: "What can I do to help prevent sanitary sewer backups? Be careful what you put down the drain. Several items that should not be put into your sewer system are paper towels, diapers, grease, paints/solvents, chemicals, antifreeze, non-food oils, and any non-dissolvable item. Please deposit grease and food scraps into a can or the trash for disposal."

Major Sparkman Thanks TCA

NNO a Huge Success! Thank you for your generous contribution and support of National Night Out. We are truly grateful for all you have done and continue to do to support you community and local police district. Your thoughtfulness and generosity are truly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Major Sparkman

Reckless Driver Loses Control, Collides with Garbage Truck

• From The Newport Blast, Nov 30, 2016: "The driver of a car that rear-ended a garbage truck as it entered Route 6 broadcast his driving on Facebook Live in the minutes leading up to the accident. The video shows the driver driving at speeds well over 100 mph as he weaves through traffic, sometimes using the shoulder to pass.
  Everyone occasionally breaks the law while behind the wheel. Most make sure they don’t record it. Those that do typically don’t do so live on Facebook…because doing so has a good chance of showing you dead on Facebook too. News reports indicated that the driver was taken to the hospital, but considering the speed he was travelling and that he wasn’t wearing a seat belt, we’re not expecting a good prognosis.
  If he does survive, we’re sure Providence police will be handing him numerous charges to keep him off the road for a very long time."
• From WPRI: In January 2017, he appeared in court wearing a neck brace and a cast on his leg and pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license. He has been previously cited for 25 traffic violations during nine traffic stops.

[Theory: Some drivers choose to speed to make driving more challenging and more "fun".]

Speed Cameras Slow Traffic

(Click on the image for the State Highway Administration report)

When the SafeZones program began in 2010, "approximately seven (7) out of every 100 drivers in SafeZones enforced work zones were exceeding the speed limit by 12 miles per hour (mph) or more. Today, less than one (1) driver out of every 100 is receiving a citation, showing a more than 90 percent reduction in the number of vehicles traveling 12 mph or more above the work zone speed limit."

Do Some Speedometers Encourage Speeding?

Police Say Speed Cameras Reduced Driving Speeds by 40 to 60 %

Click on the image for the CBS News report)

• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) believes that if the nation had a speed camera program like Montgomery County, Maryland, 21,000 deaths or serious injuries could be prevented every year.
• The report credits the cameras with a 19 percent drop in the likelihood a crash would result in a death or serious injury.
• "If you have sustained, saturated enforcement, consistently over time, it will effectively change behavior. Random enforcement doesn't do anything but just issue tickets," Montgomery County Police Capt. Thomas Didone said.
• "Despite the great traffic safety news and the safety paradigm, motorists for the most part are still skeptical about these programs," AAA's John Townsend said. "They think that it's really about revenue in the name of traffic safety."

Trash talk: In this suburb, cutting garbage pickups sparks a nasty backlash

(Click on the image for the Washington Post report by  Arelis R. Hernández)

At a recent civic association meeting, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III happily touted the commercial investment, new grocery stores and tax revenue his government had helped generate since 2010.
But when he opened the floor to questions, residents had something else on their minds.
“What’s going on with our trash?” one Clinton resident asked.
It is a question Baker has heard repeatedly in the 14 months since his government cut trash pickups from twice a week to once, a change aimed at staving off a growing deficit in the solid-waste fund and bringing Prince George’s in line with the services offered in neighboring Montgomery and Howard counties and in Washington, D.C.