Smartphones can help to alert to dangerous conditions

Coming home from the Pi meeting at GMU on Saturday, the very outer wind and rain of Hurricane Irene was hitting us as we exited 64 to take the Beltway north to Silver Spring.  Much construction in the area, with a circuitous entrance ramp that wound around, and at a low point, the road was covered by 3-4" of water.  We saw and slowed but concerned about this condition early in the day's weather travails, I found VDOT on my smartphone, they had a phone number on the home page, and in the short voice tree, choosing Northern Virginia, was amazed at getting a person in no time flat.  Explained the danger, and a few minutes later was called by a roads guy who recognized the location and thanked me greatly for reporting it.

Much press about smartphone folks taking pictures to be helpful so this is just one more illustration of the little effort it takes to help but the big benefit of doing so.

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