Update on Blizzard Conditions
After the accumulation of between 15-20 inches of overnight snow combined with severe, high winds, the city continues its snow command operations and all city departments are currently remotely monitoring the situation. Due to severe weather conditions and for the safety of employees and visitors, the Municipal Center will be closed today.
The city's focus continues to be on public safety. City public safety personnel responded to several incidents last night in four-wheel drive vehicles and with the assistance of public works department drivers. Police and fire personnel will continue to respond to emergency calls as needed.
“Currently 21 employees and seven contractors have been consistently plowing arterials throughout the night, in addition to assisting fire and police personnel with ambulance and rescue calls,” said Department of Public Works Operations Manager Christine Schwartzhoff. “We have an additional 31 contracted employees and five city employees that are currently working on the priority one streets. They are doing what they can, but the roads are going to remain difficult to drive on for some time.”
Contractors are plowing the commuter lots and clearing around the train station as much as possible, and efforts to clear the downtown sidewalks will begin later today as resources become available.
Strong wind and the snow drifts are four to six feet high in many places, making it more challenging for snow removal efforts. Over the next 12 hours, the city anticipates that most of its efforts will remain on arterial and priority 1 streets.
“We anticipate that we are going to use end loaders and skid steers to move some of the major snow drifts,” continued Schwartzhoff. “Most residential streets will not see service during this time. As soon as we are able, we will begin plowing the residential streets.”
“We do anticipate that residential streets will remain difficult to travel on until at least 24 hours after the snow subsides,” said Community Relations Manager Nadja Lalvani. “We thank our residents in advance for their patience and support as our equipment operators and drivers continue their challenging work in extreme weather conditions. We advise that residents do not attempt to drive on the roadways and enjoy Mother Nature's gift of a snow day, if at all possible.”
Residents are reminded to provide wellness checks on elderly neighbors and those with chronic illnesses.
Periodic updates will be provided on the city's website www.naperville.il.us. Information will also be provided through the city's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NapervilleIL and the city's Twitter account at http://twitter.com/NapervilleIL. Residents are encouraged to monitor local news coverage for updates on weather, road closures and other pertinent information.