NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, Portsmouth, Va. –
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Commander, Capt. Jip Mosman, honored members of Public Works Department (PWD) Portsmouth, March 10, for their outstanding recovery efforts after a mid-February snowstorm. The storm brought around 10 inches of snow to NNSY and Naval Support Activity-Portsmouth Virginia (NSA-PV), marking the region’s heaviest snowfall in 15 years.
More than two dozen PWD personnel worked 12-hour shifts in inclement weather to clear roadways and parking lots across NSA-PV, NNSY, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, St. Juliens Creek Annex, Scott Center Annex, and the Southgate Complex.
“I want to say thank you!” Mosman told PWD personnel, presenting them each with a letter of appreciation and his “Press Forward” sticker. “Some of you have been here longer than I have, but I remember years ago when we had a snowstorm, and it took days to dig out. You guys did amazing teaming up with our shipyard folks to quickly recover. I recognize what you did and very much appreciate all your efforts!”
A special recognition was presented to Transportation Work Leader Jackie Brown for quickly dispatching personnel for snow removal following the storm, with Brown as the night shift lead operating a snowplow.
Dustyn Brinkley, Mike Davis and Trever Hanes also received recognition for their proficiency in using snow removal equipment to clear parking lots and areas throughout the installation, helping the shipyard return to normal operations by Feb. 21, two days after the snowstorm.
Across two shifts, personnel applied an estimated 2,000 gallons of anti-freeze pre-treatment compound, removed approximately 45,000 tons of snow from an estimated 27 miles of roads across five bases and annexes, cleared roughly 18,000 tons of snow from 26 parking lots and spread an estimated 100 tons of salt and sand mixture.