"They" say it's just not like Colorado
To have this much snow, with this much cold weather,
And this little melt ...
.
Will it ever end?
The forecast is calling for two more storms to roll in ~
One on Saturday and another on Monday.
Yeah, those are storms with snow ... hmmmm...
To have this much snow, with this much cold weather,
And this little melt ...
.
Will it ever end?
The forecast is calling for two more storms to roll in ~One on Saturday and another on Monday.
Yeah, those are storms with snow ... hmmmm...
And you know what? I'm really feeling "done with it"!!
3 comments:
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=63402 ~ created: 1/18/2007 8:40:08 PM
NEARLY 4 WEEKS AFTER FIRST BLIZZARD, SOME STILL WAIT FOR STREET HELP
DENVER - On some residential streets of the city, the ice can get to be more than five inches thick.
Crews from the city’s public works department and others contracted to work for the city are on a 12-hour schedule, but some residents, like Heidi Baltzer, have waited weeks to see ice removed from their neighborhoods.
“I have not seen them plow Pennsylvania once until right now," said Baltzer.
Baltzer stood near her café on South Pennsylvania Street Thursday evening and watched as an ice grader, and all the machinery that accompanies it, break up the ice-laden street.
"It (the ice) paralyzes us, I mean trying to get supplies and also trying to go to the grocery store it's next to impossible if you don't have a big huge car,” Baltzer said.
Ann Williams, a spokesperson for Denver Public Works, says it’s a numbers game. On Thursday, there were roughly 103 pieces of heavy equipment working on residential areas. She says it comes down to too many streets, too few pieces of equipment, and too much ice.
"One hundred and three pieces of equipment, 62 of that is contracted; of course, we are not used to getting to every residential street with heavy equipment, but extreme conditions are dictating how we're working," Williams said.
Those pieces of equipment, Williams says, are concentrating on areas that are near police stations, schools, hospitals and other “essential” services. Once those areas are taken care of, crews will fan out to other side streets.
“It’s a work in progress, we’re trying our best, but this is unprecedented. The freeze that just hit us certainly doesn’t help,” said Williams.
For nearly four weeks the snow and ice accumulated, making for impassible streets.
Now, the frustration is accumulating.
Crews are working 12 hour schedules but can only go full speed during the daylight hours. The graders and other machines can be very loud, but at this point some residents may trade a night of good sleep for a return to a normal drive through their neighborhood.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=63405 ~ created: 1/18/2007 9:48:37 PM
THROUGH SLEET AND SNOW, WITH SLIPS AND SLIDES
DENVER - Slipping, sliding and falling; dozens of postal workers took a trip to the hospital in the last month.
The snow and ice is still covering some roadways and sidewalks, making them hard to pass.
The U.S. Postal Service says it will deliver, through rain, sleet and snow. But few could predict the amount of snow one state can get in a month, and the dangers a mail carrier could encounter of the obvious and not so obvious kind.
Fred Martin, a postal carrier in Denver, is trying to keep his balance along his route. But with the current conditions, it’s been a challenge.
In fact, 9NEWS was there to catch him fall on Thursday.
"That's slick right there," he said, "I didn't quite see that, snow on top of ice."
Of the 20 plus years Martin has been delivering mail, he says he's never seen it quite this bad.
"Having to walk on piles of snow, trampling, it was hard to walk through this. I make sure I take smaller steps, just to make sure I don't slip," he said.
It seems slipping is something Martin does quite a bit, and sometimes he falls.
"I was just walking out, all of a sudden my feet slipped underneath and I went on the top step, all the way to the bottom. I just landed right on my elbow. I just got up, shook myself out, looked around, ‘Oh, I'm not hurt, I wonder why,’" said Martin.
"We've had 80 injuries so far to our letter carriers through out Colorado and Wyoming," said Al DeSarro, spokesperson for the USPS. "Everything ranging from fractured arms and legs, to sprains, to even a concussion."
The Post Office says it will deliver no matter the weather, but DeSarro says some help from the residents would be nice. If they could clear the steps, walkways and sidewalks, it would help the carriers.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=63448 ~ created: 1/19/2007 6:20:13 PM
SNOW, ICE FORCE DRIVERS TO PRACTICE SIDE STREET ETIQUETTE
DENVER – Every day in nearly every part of the metro area, cars find themselves face-to-face engaged in a slow motion game of chicken. Who’s going to flinch? Who’s going to move out of the way?
“Pretty much someone has to be lenient or patient,” said Lisa Barker, a Denver resident. “For the most part, two cars can’t go down at the same time.”
The packed snow and ice have created deep ruts down the middle of many side streets. Often times, that means cars can only drive down one path and when someone approaches, one driver either has to back up or back down.
“When it’s icy, particularly more so at night, you can almost shift and risk getting into an accident,” said Danny Rifkin, another Denver resident.
He says drivers come close to sliding into parked cars and sometimes the moving ones.
“Very hairy, very scary,” said Pat Shuler.
She is a mail carrier who drives side streets all day long.
“I pull it to the side quite a bit, waiting for vehicles to go by, some coming very close, almost sliding into vehicles,” said Shuler.
So, when you are headed towards another car with little room to spare, who is supposed to do the side street sidestep?
“At some point, you have to make a decision if you’re going to be the one who pulls over and lets them by down the street. Or, if you’re going to take the initiative and go ahead,” said Rifkin. “It’s just a matter of trying to be courteous and anticipating it and getting out of the way.”
“I don’t know. It’s a guess, but I think everybody’s pretty polite,” said Pam Wolf, another Denver resident.
But not everybody can pull to the side because the ruts are too big.
“Sometimes cars are in the groove and they go to get out, like my car’s low to the ground, I can’t get out of that,” Barker said.
That means someone has to back up.
“It’s pretty much who got farthest first. If I’m three-fourths of the way down, I kind of have priority, I feel,” said Barker.
Shuler says if someone has an SUV, then that car should be the one to give up the right of way.
“It should be the one with the most clearance,” she said.
Post a Comment