Updates and tips from Lethbridge’s emergency & city departments following #Snowmaggedon

Chief Marc Rathwell reports that the main things they have been responding to over the last few days are standard EMS calls, but they have been much more difficult to deal with than normal.

“The biggest problem we’re having is making sure we can access [homes]. The crews are out shoveling sidewalks to be able to get stretchers in to get folks out of their homes and into the hospital as they need to.”

He also expressed concerns about seniors having to shovel deep piles of wet, heavy snow, so he is asking those who are more physically able to help them out if they can.

There were two incidents over the weekend where vehicles were set on fire because they got stuck in the snow and drivers kept “spinning their tires excessively”.

Rathwell also wanted to remind residents to keep their exterior vents from your furnaces or hot water tanks clear to avoid any issues with carbon monoxide buildup.

Police:

Lethbridge Police Service’s Acting Chief Scott Woods announced Sunday night that, due to the overwhelming conditions and a lack of staff being able to come in, they would only be responding to emergency calls.

Those that were not urgent were still recorded but put into a queue for a response.

“We’re finding this morning that we’re able to get to some of those today. We’re going to, obviously, respond on a priority basis today, so some of that stuff, if we have a decent day, we’ll be able to get to some of that stuff as well.”

The Watch program that patrols the downtown is suspended for the day Monday as well.

Woods says crime in the city has been “fairly crippled” by the bad weather. Although there are still some incidents, he claims that they have been able to manage everything pretty well, despite being low on staff.

Snow Removal:

The City of Lethbridge said on Friday that it was ready to handle whatever snowfall the weekend would bring, despite it not being at full fleet capacity yet.

“We’ve definitely had snow events like this, but not this early,” says Transportation Operations Manager Adam Campbell, “So planning was relatively straightforward – I mean, you bring on all the resources you can and use them the most efficiently you can to solve the issue you have in the community. The challenge here was just, basically, no one in southern Alberta was ready for this kind of snow event.”

The City had six-to-eight of its snowplows ready to go, which continues to be the case Monday. The issue is with the availability of staff, not with equipment.

They were able to have all of their contractors help out, though, providing another seven graders to tackle the priority one routes.

“Tonight, our focus is going to be on anti-icing and just traction, so we’re going to be laying down some salt – it’s going to freeze, it might get a little slippery overnight, so I think, now that the roads are nice and clear, at least the big roads, I think it’s time to make sure they don’t freeze up and get any worse.”

Campbell says the worst area for snow accumulation in Lethbridge he noticed was on University Drive near Whoop-Up Drive.

Crews will be working throughout the day on Monday to get as many of the priority two routes plowed. There is no plan right now to get the lower priority residential areas.

Utilities:

Several areas of Lethbridge were hit by intermittent power outages.

Electric Utility Manager Stewart Purkis reports that nearly all of them were the result of downed trees hitting power lines.

“I want to make sure that the public understands to not approach either a downed tree, particularly a downed tree near power lines. Call 3-1-1 and our crews will be there are soon as they can to clear that and make sure that is OK.”

In all cases, electrical service was restored in about an hour or two.

He says he understands that when the power does go out that people are not sure if it will be back on shortly or if they should be prepared for a longer outage.

Purkis advises to always be prepared for the worst.

Some things you can do in your home is to keep your fridge and freezer closed as much as possible so the food stays cold in the long run, and to keep battery-operated flashlights at your disposal.

Water and Wastewater:

Several areas of Lethbridge currently have large piles of snow stocked up.

Despite this, Water and Wastewater GM Doug Kaupp does not expect there to be much flooding this week as the weather warms up.

“Because it’s earlier in the year rather than springtime, the underground pipes are not frozen, so we haven’t had a deep freeze and there shouldn’t be any issues with frozen pipes below grade. Really, the biggest concern would be icing on the surface overnight with the colder temperatures.”

The other factor at play is that this week’s highs are forecast to be in the low plusses, so the snow should melt at a slower and more manageable pace than if the temperatures were to reach 15 or 20 degrees.

Kaupp is also not expecting contamination in the tap water to be an issue.

He suggests watching how the snow melts around your house in the coming days and advises extending your roof leader downspouts so the water can flow away from your home.

by David Opinko

Updates and tips from Lethbridge’s emergency & city departments following #Snowmaggedon

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