Public Works crews in Saint John have been working around-the-clock removing snow over the past several days.
There have been five measured storms of 10 centimetres or more so far this winter, several additional storms that have also caused challenges.
“A storm in early January was the most severe storm in any of the previous three seasons,” said Tim O’Reilly, director of transportation for the City of Saint John.
Environment Canada said the city recorded just shy of 100 centimetres of snow in January, the most for that month since 2015.
Since last week, several city departments have been holding daily cross coordination meetings to address snow clean-up and upcoming forecasts.
“Although not an EMO activation we have followed many of the same principles as the incident command system, such as maintaining situational awareness, managing risks, clarifying responsibilities and follow-up tasks, re-developing our plans based on changing circumstances, and most importantly relying on a highly motivated, professional cross-departmental team to manage our response,” mentioned O’Reilly.
Crews also transitioned from plowing snow to snow removal, as streets were getting too narrow with a risk of flooding.
“Our removal operations have included pushing back snow with plows to the curb, opening specific catch basins with loaders and backhoes, blowing snow into open spaces beside streets, or blowing snow into trucks and transporting it to a specific site,” said O’Reilly.
He added crews focused on removing snow from the South/Central Peninsula, Lower West, Old North End, McAllister Drive area, and other areas where there’s a risk of flooding.
In the meantime, the city issued a news release Thursday ahead of the latest winter storm.
Staff reminded residents that sidewalk and road conditions are likely to change quickly with fluctuating temperatures and precipitation.
“Residents are encouraged to stay off the roads and sidewalks if possible or be cautious if travel is necessary. Please allow space for City plows and emergency services to operate efficiently,” mentioned the release.
Follow
