City officials outline plans for clearing roads, keeping Chicago safe during dangerous snowstorm
CHICAGO (CBS) -- City leaders say they are all ready for the upcoming dangerous winter storm coming Thursday.
As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, plow crews are on standby – and some private vendors are already on call. It is safe to say with a few exceptions, city crews are pretty good at getting the city moving again after a winter storm hits.
The bitter cold, of course, is another matter. But all it takes is planning and coordination.
Scenes of snow being blown around by strong and biting winds aren't uncommon during a Chicago winter – but they aren't pleasant, and they can be dangerous. And city leaders said we can expect them to happen over the next 48 hours.
"We're going to be out there. We're going to have a full fleet out there – 300,000-plus vehicles out there – to try to keep up with it," said Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard.
Stallard said Chicago has 400,000 tons of salt stockpiled for the winter.
"We work year-round to develop our snow program," Stallard said.
Also on deck are with 300 pieces of equipment at the ready to clear streets. But private vendors are on call too.
"So we have the ability to put 300 pieces of equipment out on the street," Stallard said. "We can call our friends at other departments and our private vendors to bring that number up over 750 if need be."
First, it's the snow. Then come the plummeting temperatures. It all could make driving and simply being outside dangerous, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Bardou.
"Our concern is that any moisture that occurs in the morning – any wet spots whether it's on sidewalks, roadways – will rapidly freeze over," Bardou said.
This danger is why Support and Family Services Commissioner Brande Knazze is reminding people warming centers will be open – and extra workers will be out trying to help the homeless.
"We'll have overnight teams all night. Our teams will be out," Knazze said. "We've increased the number of teams that we're adding going into the holiday weekend."
The timing of the storm at the height of the holiday travel week, of course, adds to concerns. Some airlines have already made provisions for flyers to change plans. But there is still the possibility that canceled or delayed flights could leave travelers stranded.
In years past, cots have been set up in airport terminals when such things have happened. Aviation Commissioner Andrew Velazquez III said the department is working with the airlines – but he was short on specifics.
"The airlines will make the decision as to the method that they employ with regard to assisting their passengers that are stranded," Velazquez said.
Further, because of the expected snow and high winds, a ComEd representative said the power company's emergency operations center will open at 5 a.m. Thursday.
"We've also secured an additional 350 line workers from other utilities, who will be on the system helping with restoration," said ComEd director of external affairs Tangela Enyia.
One thing that is not changing Thursday is the city's public school schedule, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez said all schools will have a full day of classes – and there will be no early dismissal.
"We have a process now with any family who wants to pick up their children early. We never prevent that," Martinez said. "But many of our families can't do that."
But driving over het next two days is expected to be treacherous. Commissioner Stallard had a suggestion for parents.
"Talk to your young drivers. We have drivers that are going to drive to high school. We have drivers that are going to go last-minute Christmas shopping," Stallard said. "Talk to those young drivers, because they're going to see a perfectly clear road they're going to drive down – and a block later, it's going to be whiteout conditions, possibly."
Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi said the city also has new, specialized equipment to clear bike paths – though of course, few are likely to be going around riding bikes in the snowstorm.
As a reminder, building and business owners are required to shovel their sidewalks. If there is an issue with that, people can report it to the city via 311.
