The City of Indianapolis has braved much during its 193-year existence.
It wasn’t about to give in to a foot of snow, heavy winds, icy streets and power outrages, all of which arrived as belated holiday gifts delivered by a winter storm that gripped the entire state of Indiana as well as much of the nation this week.
More than 11 inches of snow covered the state throughout Sunday, followed by frigid subzero temperatures that arrived Monday, prompting Gov. Mike Pence to declare winter storm emergencies in 29 counties and city officials to issue a travel ban due to extreme cold and dangerous road conditions.
For Indianapolis, officials said this week’s winter storm was the city’s second worst ever, following the well-remembered Blizzard of 1978, which virtually shut the city down.
“Indy handled this storm very well,” Mayor Greg Ballard said during a Tuesday press conference. “We experienced the second highest single-day snowfall in history. The worst is now behind us. We still have a long way to go, but we are working to get closer to normal.”
Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) reported numerous power outages that prompted the mayor’s office to open emergency shelter locations at 17 Indy Parks as quickly as possible and the Mayor’s Action Center (MAC) for residents who needed assistance reaching a shelter.
Volunteers at the Mayor’s Action Center answered approximately 6,500 calls from residents between Sunday evening and Monday morning, including nearly 400 calls per hour between 9 a.m. through noon.
Due to the city’ travel ban, most businesses, schools and other institutions in the city were shut down Monday and Tuesday – some even into Wednesday.
Ivy Tech Community College, which has campuses statewide, pushed back its registration deadline to allow students to continue to register for spring 2014 classes through Jan. 19.
“Our main focus is ensuring we can get students in and registered for the classes they need this spring semester,” said Thomas J. Snyder, president of Ivy Tech, which serves more than 200,000 students annually. “We certainly do not want to penalize our students due to weather and campus closures.”
Trash collection routes were cancelled Monday and Tuesday, and resumed on Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday routes next week, beginning Jan. 13, will operate on a double pick-up schedule. On these days, residents who live in areas with 96-gallon bins will be allowed an additional 10 bags, and bag collection areas will be allowed a total of 20 bags for pick-up.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) crew that handles winter weather, known as the Indy Snow Force worked around the clock to fight extreme temperatures, compacted snow and ice on city street and roads.
According to the DPW, nearly 90 drivers cleaned up and salted many of the city’s main thoroughfares.
In addition, private contractors were hired to add about 300 private snowplows to the existing force of 90 individuals that plowed more than 4,000 miles of residential roads in Marion County.
Some residents became concerned as subzero temperatures compacted the snow and made the salt ineffective to help remove ice that bonded to the roads. However, as the temperatures increased and winds subsided, the salt on the streets began to activate and crews continued to plow to avoid refreezing on roads.
Roads were mostly passable by Wednesday morning, but motorists were still encouraged to proceed with caution.
“While the worst is over, drivers should continue to use caution on the road, drive slowly, and leave plenty of room for other drivers and Indy Snow Force crews,” said Stephanie Wilson, a spokesperson for DPW. “There is a chance for more snow accumulations. Our plows will continue to salt and plow today to ensure the best possible road conditions.”
While many are lauding the city’s efforts to get the city back up and running after the snowstorm, one Concord Street resident wasn’t happy at all. Rev. Michael Covington said he has congestive heart failure and has trouble walking. He also rides IndyGo Open Door service to get back and forth to the hospital. Against doctor’s orders, he went outside, battled the snow about once an hour to keep his path clear, in case of an emergency.
He said overnight, snowplows came through and pushed large mounds of snow, again blocking the best entry to his home.
“Emergency vehicles can’t get in and I can’t get out to get my medication. How can the city get away with that? You get them clean and salted and then they come and push these big mounds of snow and ice right back up there. We need to address this. The city doesn’t have the authority to endanger elderly and handicapped peoples’ lives,” Covington said.
