Snow Emergency ?!

[ron_newman]

I just got woken up by a robo-call from 'Tom Champion' of the City of Somerville, saying that the city is declaring a snow emergency at 10 am, and that all cars must be parked on the odd side of streets by 2 pm. Wha?

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Oops, I posted about this at the same time you did. :-) (deleted it)

I don't even recall how I got on that Somerville auto-dialer news list, but I must say it's useful, in its way.

[ron_newman]

I think they just call everyone with a Somerville telephone exchange.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

Just got that one myself. If 'Tom Champion' isn't some sort of snow-removal-related superhero, I'm going to be very disappointed.

[farwing.livejournal.com]

If 'Tom Champion' isn't some sort of snow-removal-related superhero, I'm going to be very disappointed.

Thank you for making me laugh! :)

[cemeterygates.livejournal.com]

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

I didn't think we were supposed to get that much accumaltian, and that whatever we got would be washed away by the rain soon after. Or is the flood alert on weather.com lying to me?

[aki.livejournal.com]

There was an email on the snow-emergency email list, which you can sign up for, as well.

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

you've never received one of the Tom Champion robo-calls before?

though I don't know why the hell they're declaring a snow emergency for 2-4 inches of snow. I don't remember an emergency declared for 6 inches of solid ice on Valentine's Day.

I guess it was serendipitous that I decided to move my car last night, because I leave for work at 7:00! how many people does Somerville think are going to be home at 7:49am? perhaps try letting people know about this... the night before, instead of 2 hours before?

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Don't you read the weather reports? The Big One is coming! Hide the women and children!

Honestly, I think the storm is going to fizzle out, but I don't blame the city for closing down just in case. We all remember the one from last winter (or the winter before?) when some towns *didn't* close down, and kids were left stranded at school.

My kid's school just called and told me they're closing early (as mandated by law, apparently, when a snow emergency is declared). This will be a pain in my ass today, but c'est la vie.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

The city is rather stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one.

If they wait until the last minute to declare, then people who don't drive their cars to work might be towed with nothing they could have done.

If they declare early then there's a chance the snow isn't much.

I assume that the goal is to get the roads cleared and salted before evening rush hour.

I can't think of a better strategy, can anyone else?

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I think it's the timing that prompted this snow emergency call -- i.e. the storm is supposed to be worst at rush hour. 2-4 inches at 5pm on a Friday is a lot different from 2-4 inches at 5am on a Sunday, e.g.

I hear ya on the car moving thing though. No matter how they do it, someone's going to get screwed.

[ron_newman]

A few weeks after Joe Curtatone was first elected mayor, he called a snow emergency for what turned out to be a rain storm. Lots of cars were ticketed and towed, and the city eventually ended up having to refund all the tickets and tow charges.

This looks to me like a repeat of that mistake.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. Plus, since a snow emergency involves closing schools, better to do it as early as possible so parents can try to make alternate childcare arrangements.

[ron_newman]

2-4 inches is not a lot of snow at any time of the day. Unless we're getting 12 inches or more, I don't see the need for a snow emergency.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

You can also have the alert text-messaged to your cell phone. Which was really funny when I was out on tour down in Louisiana in 80 degree weather and getting all the alerts.

[ifotismeni]

.... i adore your icon. XD

[angelpiglet.livejournal.com]

So what if you are stuck at work and can't move your car till 5ish?

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I think Mayor Joe has learned from this, and I don't expect the same thing to happen again. (That is, if this storm turns out to be a rain storm, I do not think cars will be towed.) However, I think this storm is a difficult one to predict. The last storm we had was very icy, and by the afternoon the roads were treacherous and dangerous. A snow emergency was not declared, and kids (and parents) had to navigate icy, sometimes hilly, streets to get home.

I think the mayor is trying to prevent this from happening again, and he wants the streets to be safe by rush hour.

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

Which school is it? The Somerville public schools have canceled after day activities, but since the parking ban doesn't kick in until 3pm, they're still releasing at 2:30pm (according to their web page).

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

I think you are being too harsh. They are trying to prepare for the what if factor. If they wait until rush hour it is too late to prepare.

Its betetr safe than sorry. If you get a ticket and you dont like it contest it, but i guess there is always someone who complains about something. (no offense to you just saying)

[ron_newman]

I don't have a car at all, so I'm not the one complaining....

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

I was just replying to what you said...not saying you were the one complaining.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

Then you come home and move it or get towed, which is what the 311 told me. What I want to know is what exactly changed in the forecast between last night and today that prevented them from putting out the alert at say...7:00 instead of 7:45, when quite a few commuters had left? Jerks.

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

I just had a thought.

I wonder how many people they call at once, i looked at my caller ID and it says they called me at 7:40am. If you got called at 7:49, maybe they start calling earlier but it goes through each number at a time? Or am I insane for thinking this lol.

[ron_newman]

Well, I actually got called a few minutes earlier than my post. I already deleted it from my caller ID record so I can't tell you the exact time. Hopefully I didn't delay anyone else's getting the call because I hit the * key twice to listen to the message repeated.