As you have all likely seen the news, later this week we are going to see a significant snowstorm roll through our area. I met with my staff and our team this morning to formulate our plan for attacking/reacting to this storm. Take some time to read and understand what to expect over the next few days and our plan for dealing with it.
• Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning we expect the storm to start as rain, and then switch over to snow during the day on Wednesday. The snow will be heavy at times and last through Thursday and into the early morning hours of Friday.
• We estimate that by the end of the storm we will be looking at potentially 12+ inches of snow. The expected wind that will come with this storm will lead to significant blowing and drifting which will result in drifts of multiple feet.
• Stay tuned to the local news for levels and snow emergencies if you must travel. There is a very high likelihood that roadways will become impassable and closed at some point during this storm. With the conditions forecasted, a Level 3 is highly likely for parts of our area including Sandusky County.
• A Snow Emergency for the Village of Gibsonburg will be issued and effective starting Tuesday evening at 8pm. ALL vehicles must be removed from the streets on that marked Snow Route by noon on Wednesday. Any vehicles left on the street at that time will be ticketed by GPD. The Snow Emergency will remain in effect until Friday afternoon unless otherwise rescinded or extended.
• Our crews will begin plowing on Wednesday, and we will do our best to keep up and stay ahead of the storm as much as possible through the remainder of the week and weekend as needed.
• You will see large snow piles in the downtown starting Thursday morning and lasting through the week as we clear the snow. There will be periodic road closures in the downtown as crews work to remove the piles. Please use caution when driving or parking in downtown this week as these snow piles are inevitable and could be with us for a little while in certain spots.
• We have extra help coming in to assist with alleys starting on Thursday morning. We will do our best to keep up with the snow in the alleys, but understand that at times alleys may become impassable as a result of accumulation and/or drifting. Be patient and we will get to it as quickly as we can. Roadways are always our #1 priority but we are going to try and stay on top of alleys as well.
• On Thursday at some point, there is a high likelihood that our crews will be unable to keep up with the storm due to fast accumulation, and blowing and drifting, that result in dangerous conditions for all. At which point we will cease plowing and allow the storm to slow down before resuming. We will actively monitor the situation here in town, as well as outside the village with respect to ODOT and their operation. ODOT and the County is expected to do the same under those conditions as they have in the past. Should we need to pause our snow removal efforts, we will communicate that as best as possible through social media.
It is important that you take precautions to keep you and your family safe in a storm like this. Please also remember to check on your elderly neighbors and make sure they are ok as well. I urge everyone to stay calm, do not panic, and be patient as road crews all over the area try to help us dig out from this storm. Be prepared to have to stay home on Thursday and possibly Friday. Be safe, be respectful, be helpful, and give it some extra time. We will get things cleaned up as fast as we can, but it’s going to take a while
A storm like this, dumping that much snow over a 2 day period is not going to be pretty and neither will be the clean-up. It is going to take significant effort and time to plow out, shovel out, snow blow out from that much snow. There is no perfect strategy for handling that much snow, we will go as fast as we can, as safe as we can to clean it up, but it will not be perfect.
It is very likely that you may get your driveway cleaned only to have a plow truck push snow back over the entrance or snow pushed back onto a cleared sidewalk. This also applies to our plow trucks plowing snow around a car on the street, thus leaving it blocked in. These things happen during snowstorms like this, and we apologize in advance for that. We recognize the frustration and inconvenience that that will cause you, but it is not intentional, and it is unfortunately unavoidable.
Please be safe, and well will all get through this.
Thanks, Mayor Fought
National Weather Service Statement:
..WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM WEDNESDAY TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 16 inches.
* WHERE...Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Sandusky, Hancock and Seneca counties.
* WHEN...From 7 AM Wednesday to 7 AM EST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Patchy
blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The
hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.