Mayors weigh in on nor'easter: Preparation and aftermath

Tuesday, February 14, 2017, 3:55 PM - Atlantic Canadians are no strangers to powerful winter storms and often times preparations begin days in advance.

The Maritimes are reeling from blizzard conditions after a nor'easter dumped over 70 cm of snow in parts. Unfortunately, they are not in the clear yet as forecasters are eyeing another nor'easter that is expected to push in Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, winter storm and blizzard warnings continue across eastern Newfoundland for this first system, with snowfall accumulations between 30 and 60 cm expected by Wednesday afternoon.

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"The last time I looked we were getting about 4 cm [of snow] an hour, which is pretty intense," Danny Breen, councillor and chair of the Public Works Committee for St. John's, Newfoundland told The Weather Network Tuesday afternoon. "Pretty much everything here in the city is shutdown today."

The biggest concern for city officials is keeping the roads clear and making sure there is access for emergency vehicles, according to Breen.

While snow plows continue to clear main roads, there will be a delay for residential streets due to high winds. Around 50 to 60 pieces of snow clearing equipment were dispatched in St. John's, with crews out salting early Tuesday morning.

Breen says it takes about three hours to provide a salt treatment and it's estimated the city uses about 30 thousands tons of salt per year.

"We use a tremendous amount of salt here because of the freeze and thaw," said Breen.

"We were fortunate this time because one of our biggest problems or challenges is we have storms and snow events that are close together," he said. "Then we don't have the storage place because we are just cleaning up after one and then we're into another. In this case, it's been a week or a little bit more, so we've been able to remove a lot of the snow from the downtown area."

Breen suspects most roads will open within 12 to 18 hours. The city guarantees that within accumulations of 25 cm or less, the roads will open within 12 hours of the snow ending, according to the councillor.

"However, when you get up into this type of snow, it could be a longer period," he said. "Once we have all the streets cleaned up, we will bring in the blowers and the trucks, and take the snow out of the downtown area and some of the more dense areas of the city. Then we will try to push back and widen the streets enough so that we can accommodate the freshly fallen snow."

Breen says it's vital for residents to keep the cars off the streets and if you don't have to go out, stay indoors. It's also important to clear off fire hydrants in your area, he added. 

"Keep an eye on your neighbours if you have neighbours that you know that through various reasons may need some assistance, make sure they're OK," he said. "We're a hardy crowd here in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are used to these weather events. So, we'll deal with it and we'll do what we can to try to get things moving again as quickly as possible."

The Maritimes dig out

The reprieve is short lived in the Maritimes as winter storm warnings and watches are already in effect for the next system, set to push into the region Wednesday night. The nor'easter that just passed dumped nearly 80 cm of snow in Gagetown and 50 cm in Halifax since 4 a.m. Tuesday.

"I went into the office this morning and when I returned home around 1 p.m. in the afternoon visibility was reduced to about 50 feet maybe and at times, there was complete whiteout conditions," Saint John mayor Don Darling told The Weather Network on Monday, in the storm's midst. "All essential services, our police and fire, have asked our citizens to stay off the roads. Any non-essential services have been pulled off the road. We're locked down."

In Halifax schools are once again closed on Tuesday.

"Storm surge is maybe higher than we expected," Halifax mayor Michael Savage told The Weather Network Monday. "The storm surge is always a concern here and certainly today. So, we took the buses off the road, we made that decision yesterday. We've done some dramatic things to accommodate mother nature on this trip through."

Over 200 pieces of snow clearing equipment were on the roads of Halifax Monday, according to Savage. Warming stations have also been opened for the homeless.

Compared to two years ago when the province was slammed with freezing rain and nearly 100 cm of snow over a two to three day period, mayor Savage says it hasn't been all that bad this season.

"Last year was pretty good and this year so far has not been a bad winter, but this is Canada and we get nor'easters come through Nova Scotia, so you have to deal with it," he said.

"We have here in Halifax region, I think one of the very best EMO [Emergency Management Organization] systems in the country. All levels of government, EMOs are in the same building and everybody from Nova Scotia Power to other agencies operate very closely, hand in glove and I think it makes it a lot easier."

Likewise in New Brunswick, mayor Darling calls residents of Saint John "seasoned experts."

While this has been a major storm for the province, operations are running smoothly, according to the mayor.

"We're certainly hoping we don't have another 2015 on our hands where we had almost 300 cm of snow in a period of 4 to 5 weeks," he said. "We did bring in extra crews over the past day or two to get caught up and clear the roads. We will work diligently over the next day or so and give people some rest to prepare for the next storm."

Snow-clearing budgets

Due to a mild winter in 2016, Halifax saved about $5 million in snow-clearing costs, according to CBC.

Mayor Savage says the budget this year for snow and ice removal is over $20 million.

"This [storm] will have an impact as it always does, but we won't spare the expense of making sure we clear all the snow. If these are the only major episodes we will manage, but if there is more we will just have to figure it out. We know there is a cost to this, but keeping people safe and getting the roads and sidewalks open are of paramount importance," said Savage.

In Saint John, New Brunswick mayor Darling says the budget is in "decent shape," thanks to a light winter leading up to the last couple of weeks.

"I want to thank my council colleagues who supported us for the first time having a winter reserve in place," said Darling. "So, we are starting to be more prudent and plan for the future to take some of the highs and lows out of our winter months. I think we're in an OK shape, but if it keeps going like this every two or three days, I'm going to start to worry about it."

Preparing for a storm

In preparation for a major nor'easter, all emergency teams gather together several days ahead of a storm, including all department heads to discuss different scenarios and how officials plan to keep the city moving along, explained Darling.

"We are mostly concerned about fire and police, and keeping people safe," he said. "It would involve everything from renting additional four-wheel drive vehicles, making sure generators are in place, and ensuring warming centres are in place and ready to go in case we need them. Of course we also put together essential teams to report throughout the day and monitor the situation. We over-plan and over-prepare and hopefully we don't have to use all of those plans."

Patience is key when dealing with these types of storms, especially when there is such a heavy snowfall, noted Savage.

"We want to minimize the impact on businesses, but the first and foremost consideration for all of us at all levels of government and all organizations is the safety and security of our citizens and that's what we are working towards," he said. "Folks have to understand it will take a while to get the streets and roadways clear, but we have professionals working really hard to make that happen as quickly as possible."

After New Brunswick's major ice storm that claimed the lives of two residents in late January, mayor Darling says keeping people safe and warm is top priority.

The Next One

Meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the next nor'easter, which is expected to push into the Maritimes Wednesday night with a wide swath of 10-20 cm of snow.

The heaviest snowfall looks to track further into northern New Brunswick, with some rain mixed in for Nova Scotia.

"Whatever happens, it will still be an issue," said Savage. "If it's more snow, you have to find a place to put the snow. If it's wet, you're going to have issues of storm drains being clogged. We have everyone out that we can have out safely, while making sure no one will be working a three day stretch without rest and nutrition."

However, whatever comes Wednesday through Thursday, Savage says the city will be prepared.

Meanwhile, mayor Darling says they will call third-party crews to help with the messy conditions if needed.

"It's winter in the Maritimes, so we're certainly getting a bit walloped here over the last couple of days, but once the dust settles and the snow settles we encourage people to get outside safely, go skiing and enjoy the winter in the Maritimes," said Darling. "It can be beautiful." 

WATCH BELOW: By the numbers: Nor'easter rundown and what's still to come