City update 6:44 a.m., 2/2/2011:
A blizzard warning is in effect.
Contract and city crews continued to plow streets overnight, with the intent of maintaining one lane of traffic.
Our area has received a large amount of snow during the night with significant drifting from high winds. We urge you not to travel. It is very unlikely that anyone will reach their destination if an attempt to travel is made. If you do go out, please use caution and call ahead to make sure that the place you are attempting to reach is open.
Abandoned vehicles that are stuck in the street will compromise the City’s attempt to plow the streets. Police have begun to tow cars off of streets that still remain on designated snow routes.
If you have issues related to your street, the public works call center can be reached by calling 494-8850.
The Parking Ban is still in effect.
City update 7:31 a.m., 2/2/2011:
Our Emergency Communications Center has remained busy throughout the storm with calls from stuck motorists who are trapped in their vehicles. They utilized all means to get to them; Police, Fire, County Highway, IDOT, Public Works; even the Army National Guard. In many instances, the responders themselves got stuck trying to help the citizens.
Our 9-1-1 count for yesterday was 366. Our non-emergency phone calls totaled over 750 calls. A quick count shows our incoming calls were well over 1,100.
The ECC was struck by lightning at 8:45 p.m. last night. This caused our main police radios and several phone consoles, along with some other equipment to go down. Vendors were called in and worked until 3:00 a.m. to restore full service. No calls or service was lost as we used our back up systems.
With all the advance warnings that were out prior to the storm, unless its a woman in labor or a heart attack victim, the most a trapped motorist should be offered is a “good luck”.
Just Me,I totally agree with you. And God bless those that are doing their best to clear our streets. Please take care and everybody use a little common sense. If you didn’t get milk and bread early forget it you can live without it for another 48 hours giving the maintenance workers time to clear the streets for you.
Big props to the C.O.P. snow crew. Our entire subdivision was drivable and Northmoor and University were in good shape.
Apparently, I am supposed to get a snow shovel and shovel out several hundred feet of North East Randolph Avenue in order to be able to get access to s street that will let me drive to a part of town that received adequate snow removal, so i can gush about what a great job the city did plowing more important locations.
Duh, why not use an ECC w/ generator backup? thats emergency management 101 and there are locations that are easliy availavle for that use.
Bill, I would say it’s hit and miss. Our subdivision, which had 1 lane plowed down the middle of all streets this snowstorm, wasn’t touched for 4 days after the last snowstorm.
This is one of the biggest snowstorms in quite some time so there are going to be some areas that don’t get plowed as soon as the residents would like. Which I know is easy for me to say since I was able to get to work this morning.
“i can gush about what a great job the city did plowing more important locations.”
If you were in charge, what would you make sure was taken care of 1st?: Main Street, University, Knoxville, Sheridan or side streets?
Neal — the article didn’t say they lost power, they say it shorted out some of their radio equipment. A generator wouldn’t help in that situation.
Duh, I should read better
Bill,
no one in R&R neighborhood has a snow blower? When I lived over by Loucke’s school we had one heck of snow storm early 90’s. The plows were doing only major streets. the entire block got together, some with snow shovels, some with snow blowers. We dug ourselves out, driveways and the street. Made a party of it. Some of the older folks made cookies and hot chocolate. Our neighbohood was plowed by this morning. Excepting the folks who couldn’t bother to move their cars off the streets. Those cars are buried and yes they could have parked in their driveways.
The city was great in my neighborhood. Normally, we’re cleared out about 2 days after everyone else, but I saw plows pass my house 3 times on Tuesday and twice yesterday.