Michelle Basch, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – No one wants a repeat of the Jan. 26 snowstorm that left many drivers in the D.C. region stranded in their cars for hours.

Since then, local and county governments in the National Capital Region have been working on ways to make sure it never happens again.

“That’s kind of a challenge isn’t it, because it will happen again,” says Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate.

He says it’s inevitable that the region will be hit by another paralyzing blizzard or other extreme weather.

“We’re going to have to implement various degrees of ‘shelter-in-place.’ A lot of people are going to be inconvenienced, but we’re going to keep people safe,” Fugate says.

The Office of Personnel Management recently added a shelter-in-place option to its dismissal guide for federal workers.

In addition, local cities, towns and counties that are members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments are encouraging residents to stay off the roads when it snows.

After the August earthquake, so many people tried to use their cellphones at the same time, calls could not get through.

Fugate’s family was able to stay in touch through text messages and Facebook.

“We had a plan,” he says. “We told everybody if something happens, we’re going to update on Facebook just to let everybody know we’re okay. So if you can’t get a hold of us, go check the Facebook update. It worked.”

Fugate says many people who couldn’t use their phones and didn’t know what was happening, apparently forgot about another reliable source of emergency information.

“How many people just forgot to turn on the radio to find out what was going on?”

When emergencies strike, remember WTOP’s main frequency is 103.5 FM. We broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)