nothin City Gears Up For 2-Headed Storm | New Haven Independent

City Gears Up For 2‑Headed Storm

Thomas MacMillan Photo

New Haven is banning downtown parking as well as odd-side neighborhood street parking as it prepares to battle Janus, a storm that presents a double threat — not just snow, but extreme cold, too.

Winter Storm Janus is the season’s latest snow threat, scheduled to arrive in New Haven Tuesday afternoon and evening.

While the last storm, Hercules,” featured snowfall followed by a cold snap, two-faced Janus will combine both those problems into one storm.

It’s not just a snow event,” said Rick Fontana, the city’s deputy director of emergency operations. It’s a snow event with extremely low, dangerous temperatures.”

Fontana (pictured) voiced that warning at a Tuesday morning meeting of city officials in the Emergency Operations Center, under the Hall of Records on Orange Street.

The storm could dump between six and 10 inches, with the temperature dropping into the single digits, according to the National Weather Service. Fontana said he’s expecting 10 inches.

Fontana said the temperature won’t rise above 20 degrees until Thursday. With the wind chill, the temperature will sink below zero. 

City officials announced the following plans and information at Tuesday’s meeting:

• There will be a downtown parking ban beginning midnight Tuesday.

• A residential parking ban will also start at midnight. People are required to park on the even side of the street. People who do park on the odd side could face ticketing and towing. (Fire hydrants are on the odd side of the street.) We will tow,” Harp said.

• Parking will also be prohibited on all posted snow routes. All parking bans will lift at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

• Parking is available overnight at the Crown and Temple parking garages, for $3.

• The public works and parks departments will be out in force to plow the streets. Public works will have all of its equipment on the roads, plus eight contractors.

• As during Hercules, police officers will be looking for people outside during the storm, and bringing them either to their homes, to homeless shelters, or to hospital emergency rooms.

• Libraries and Union Station will serve as warming stations. More info here.

• The city’s Livable City Initiative will have staff on duty to handle complaints from people without heat in their apartments. The city has hotel rooms reserved if they are needed to house people who don’t have heat. The city also has some space heaters to lend out.

• Schools are being dismissed early on Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether school will be canceled on Wednesday.

• Tweed airport flights are canceled after 3 p.m. Tuesday.

• The health department is urging people to watch for hypothermia and frostbite if they are outside shoveling. More info here.

• The Emergency Operations Center will be activated starting at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The phone number there is (203) 946‑8221.

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