Melissa Bailey Photo
As the cost of the blizzard continued to climb Monday, and main arteries remained barely passable, Mayor John DeStefano made a request for more help from the National Guard.
DeStefano made the remarks during a 5 p.m. briefing Monday at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) below 200 Orange St., where top city officials gathered for a regular update on response to Winter Storm Nemo.
Most institutions remain closed Tuesday and city officials urge drivers to stay off the roads. See the bottom of the story for more details.
The storm has cost the city about $400,000 so far, not counting the Department of Public Works, according to an update from the city finance department.
“Great,” sighed the mayor upon hearing the news. “You’re easily going to hit 2 million,” he predicted.
Because President Obama declared an emergency in Connecticut, the city can apply for federal reimbursement for up to 75 percent of the storm cleanup costs for a 48-hour period.
Edgewood Avenue, 5 p.m. Monday.
Meanwhile, the EOC has been flooded with calls Monday from neighbors wondering when their streets will be plowed. Department of Public Works Chief Doug Arndt said he aims to have 95 percent of streets plowed by Tuesday morning, ahead of the city’s goal to do so by midday Tuesday.
If your street still isn’t plowed Tuesday, you can let the city know by calling 203 – 946-8221.
The National Guard has been helping the city since 2:30 a.m. Saturday. It has dispatched four staffed Humvees to help the fire department rescue people and cars. In addition, the Guard provided two medium-sized pay loaders to help dig out snow, according to Rick Fontana, the city’s deputy chief of emergency operations.
Mayor DeStefano on Monday asked Fontana to issue a request in writing for more help from the Guard, particularly more pay loaders. Because of how deep the snow is, plows can’t handle side streets alone. The city needs them to scoop out the snow first.
Private contractors have been lending three extra pay loaders to the city’s cleanup efforts, bringing the total to 27. Those three machines won’t be in use overnight because the contractors don’t have drivers to staff them, reported Assistant Chief Ralph Black. There was some discussion about whether the city should find drivers to keep those machines going all night.
DeStefano asked the fire department to assemble a crew to check main arterial roads in the morning. While they’ve all been plowed, they are still partially covered in hard pack, creating deep ruts that make for a rough ride.
“I was bouncing all over today. It was brutal,” DeStefano said.
Dixwell Avenue Monday afternoon.
Whitney Avenue remained very bumpy when the Independent toured through Monday afternoon. Cars were having trouble navigating the icy slush on Dixwell Avenue. Winchester was a mess — it was barely wide enough for a bus to pass a city truck of salt. Newhallville side streets were barely passable. Whalley Avenue, which is four lanes, provided the smoothest ride.
In other Nemo news:
• Public schools, city government, state court, Gateway, Yale will all remain closed Tuesday because of the storm.
• Public meetings canceled Tuesday.
• Mayor: Downtown won’t be ready for cars yet, as crews focus on clearing neighborhood streets.
• Shoreline East and Amtrak are back; Metro-North resumes limited service.
• My Ride resumes Tuesday.
• The city has towed 119 cars so far, reported Police Chief Dean Esserman.
• The last of 27 stranded cop cruisers was rescued today, Esserman said.
• 25 school parking lots are open; with another five to six more expected to be open by morning, according to schools Chief Operating Officer Will Clark.
When Dunkirk had to be evacuated, hundreds of privately-owned ships sailed out of the harbors and pitched in. Every able bodied person for miles around was called in to help.
Here, it seems that it is every private parking lot owner and SUV driver to themselves. The private lots were pristine minutes after the storm ended, whereas critical city routes are still impassable days later.
Perhaps the next time there is a severe blizzard, the city will have a plan to dig out immediately.