Heavy Lift Underway To Clear Snow

Eighty-one-year-old Georgeanne Flanagan dug her shovel into a foot-tall pile of snow near her car. Determined to make it to her Covid-19 vaccination appointment later this week, she heaved the heavy white stuff onto her lawn.

Flanagan was one of a dozen Cedar Hill neighbors out on Ridge Street Tuesday morning working to clear the leftovers from Monday’s 15-inch snowstorm from their sidewalks, front porches, and buried motor vehicles.

No significant new snow is expected Tuesday, according to city emergency management chief Rick Fontana. So the focus is on clearing all that white stuff, which could take a couple of days.

About 35 city crews remain out plowing, according to city public works chief Jeff Pescosolido. Officials expect the job to last past Tuesday.

While those plow trucks continue to comb through and clear city streets to allow for a resumption of traffic, residents like Flanagan and her neighbors took shovels in hand to accomplish a more personal task: Freeing their own cars from piles of snow, so that they could get to work or the bank or the grocery store or, in Flanagan’s case, a hard-won vaccination appointment.

Flanagan, a retired former physical education teacher at East Rock School, said she just needs to have her car free by Thursday.

That’s when she’s scheduled to get a Covid-19 vaccination at Yale New Haven Hospital’s clinic on Devine Street in North Haven.

She made that appointment weeks ago as soon as slots opened for Connecticut residents 75 and up. Considering how cooped up she’s been at home for the past 11 months of the pandemic, she said, she’s doing everything she can to make sure she gets that shot on Thursday. (Vaccination clinics across the state, including YNHH and the city health department, postponed appointments on Monday and Tuesday because of the snowstorm.)

“This is hard because it’s heavy snow,” Flanagan said. Her kids have long since left the home, which means that shoveling out her front walkway is her responsibility. ​“I really don’t mind,” she said with a smile.

Flanagan lives on the even side of the street, so she left her car legally parked outside of her home Monday night during the citywide parking ban (which prohibits parking on the odd side of residential streets.)

When she woke up, her car was not just covered in snow. It was walled in by more snow and ice pushed to the side by city plow trucks, and by neighbors who had tossed snow from their driveways into the street.

“We’re sort of in a bind,” she said.

A few houses down the block on the odd side of the street, 24-year-old Tang Russ worked on freeing his car from the snow. He had just finished up shoveling out cars for some family and friends elsewhere on Ridge Street, he said. Now it was time to clear a path for his vehicle.

“The streets were pretty bad last night,” he said. When asked about how he felt about the city not towing some cars that were parked on the odd side of the street, even though they were in violation of the citywide parking ban, he said, ​“It would be a pain, but I figure everyone was home” or otherwise not trying to go outside, because of the storm.

Russ said he has a busy Tuesday ahead of him. He’s got to go to the bank, help his uncle, go to Middletown to get a permit, help some more friends and family clear their sidewalks and cars of snow.

What’s the first thing he’s going to do after he finishes shoveling out his car? ​“I’m gonna wash my clothes,” he said.

Shoveling their cars free on the even side of the street, Kay, Keturah, and Curtis Martin all said that they too need to clear the snow from their vehicles so that they can make it to the bank on Tuesday. ​“It’s the first of the month,” Kay said, ​“and it’s time to pay the bills.”

Near the corner of Ridge Street and Warren Place, Willie Tart also spent the morning shoveling clear the snow that had piled up around his car.

“This is not the first time” he’s had to dig his vehicle out of a hefty pile of snow in his 35 years living in Cedar Hill, he said. And it likely won’t be the last.

When asked about the city’s enforcement of the odd-side parking ban during snowstorms, Tart said, ​“Most people prefer it that way.” That is, not to be towed, even if that means spending the next morning shoveling and shoveling to free one’s car. ​“You’ve got to find a place to park” if you are following the parking ban, he said, which can be a bit of a challenge in an area with limited on- and off-street residential parking.

Mayor: ​“Vast Majority Of Residents Moved Their Cars”

Some violators of the city’s emergency parking ban got away with it during Monday’s 15-inch snowstorm, but at least some of them may not be as lucky today as New Haven continues digging out.

City emergency operations chief Fontana told the Independent that only one location lost power during the storm: a 22-unit apartment building at 313 Norton St. He said crews restored power there promptly.

And while a few trees came down during the day, there were no reports of felled ones with wires attached. The snow wasn’t sticking to the trees, Fontana said, so they were able to withstand heavy winds.

Fontana said Tuesday morning that the city Monday towed 78 vehicles parked in violation of the city’s still-activated emergency ban, which prohibits parking downtown, along emergency routes, and on odd-numbered sides of residential neighborhood streets. Mayor Justin Elicker updated the number to 99 at a Tuesday morning press conference held indoors at public works headquarters on Middletown Avenue.

As Independent commenters pointed out, violators blocked the plows by parking on odd-numbered sides of streets in neighborhoods like Fair Haven, Dixwell and the Hill.

Elicker said it’s not realistic to expect the city to tow all illegally parked cars before they get snowed in. He added that some workers were out sick.

“It’s a very, very large city. We have to prioritize. The likelihood of our towing every car is low. We have to be real about that,” Elicker said. ​“The vast majority of residents moved their cars.”

Fontana said on day one the crews had to prioritize downtown and the emergency routes with its available resources.

“That’s what keeps the city moving. That’s what keeps emergency vehicles moving with access,” he said.

He vowed that attention will turn Tuesday to violations in neighborhoods. He understands neighbors’ frustration, he said. ​“There’s nothing worse than when a group of people do the right thing and three or four people screw it up.”

People with snow-related concerns are asked to call the emergency operations center at 203 – 946-8221.

At the press conference, Elicker noted that residents get frustrated when they dig out their driveways — and plows come by and block the driveways back in with compact piles of snow.

It happened to him Tuesday morning, he said.

“I know it’s frustrating. There’s really not another way we can deal with it,” Eliciker said.

He asked the public for ​“patience” as crews work through the day and night to clear the roads.

Digging Out Begins

Neighbors like Antonio Cusano got to work early as the storm piled snow on the city Monday.

Cusano scraped his snow shovel across his car’s front windshield … then bent down to dig out his driver’s side wheel.

He — and New Haven — were just getting started on what promised to be an extended excavation.

Alternating from car to pavement, car to pavement, Cusano slowly cleared just enough space to get his car out of the driveway, and off to work.

Cusano dug his way out of that thick blanket of snow Monday midday as an expected 12 – 16 inches continued to fall across the wind- and snow-swept city.

City officials urged New Haveners to be patient as the 45-plus city plows and contracted trucks worked on removing the heavy white stuff from local roads.

In the meantime, New Haveners like Cusano took shovels into their own hands to get a head start, while others went out for groceries and even for an afternoon run.

Cusano works as a security guard at Yale University. This reporter found the Hamden native and four decades-long East Rock resident just after noon shoveling his car free from his home’s driveway near Orange Street and Cold Spring Street.

“Just enough to get out,” he said about how much he planned on shoveling at that particular moment. He was on his way to an afternoon and evening security guard shift that wouldn’t let out until 10 p.m.

“I’ll have to worry about that later,” he said about making sure his car could pull back into the driveway tonight after what would likely be another 10 hours’ worth of snowfall.

A few blocks south on Lawrence Street, Rick and Patrick Gilson teamed up to shovel the sidewalk and front steps in front of their family’s home.

“Trying to hit it early,” Patrick said about why they were shoveling walking space clear even as the heavy snow continued to fall.

He said having less snow to clear later on means that they’ll be able to devote more of their attention to chipping away ice instead.

Past College Woods along the bridge that crosses the Mill River in East Rock Park, John W. spent the chilly midday with his hands filled not by a shovel, but a camera.

He was looking past the snowy canopy of trees and ice-capped river for any birds that might be flying or floating despite the cold weather.

“Trying to make the most of it,” he said about hitting the park for some photos in the snow. He said he works in a local lab that studies birds, and spends whatever free time he can spare walking around East Rock, looking out with his camera’s eye for whatever might be perched or flying.

He leaned over the bridge’s stone wall to take a closer look at what to this reporter appeared to a be a stationary black dot 100 feet away — but upon closer inspection was a solitary bird floating serenely where the flowing water and ice met.

What kind of bird was it? John said he’d have to spend some time with the photo upon getting home before he could say for sure.

Back down Orange Street, 78-year-old defense attorney Hugh Keefe, busy shoveling his car out of his driveway. He said he thinks that ​“shoveling is good for you – it keeps you healthy.”

Asked if he had any tricks or advice for others facing the challenge of digging their vehicles out, he replied: ​“Advice? Yeah, I have some advice. Try and get your wife to help you.”

On Livingston Street, Wilbur Cross junior Olivier Clinard-Emonet shoveled the sidewalk outside of his house. After finishing clearing his own home’s sidewalk, he said, he was going to help some of his neighbors, adding ​“hopefully they’ll pay me.”

Without a wife, he couldn’t take Keefe’s advice, but he recommended that shovellers ​“keep track of how much snow has built up – you don’t want to waste your effort shoveling just a few inches.”

Outside of Nica’s Market on Orange Street, was Ariel Unger. Unger, who works as a farmer in Bridgewater, said she had the day off because of the snowstorm, and was at the store to ​“stock up on blizzard essentials,” like eggs, milk and yogurt. “

I like the snow,” she said. ​“It’s always exciting when we get this much. My dog Ham likes it too.”

One of the more intrepid New Haveners out in East Rock Monday afternoon was Rebecca Easly-Merski. She was running down Bishop Street when she stopped to talk to this reporter.

“Running is a nice break from being cooped up inside all day,” she said, ​“although the snow does make it a little more difficult.” She added that she realized that being interviewed might reveal her as ​“a bit of a crazy person when it comes to running in all conditions,” but that she was willing to take the risk.

On Whitney Avenue was Andreas Burgess, on his way to take his two daughters, Noorjehan and Idrees, sledding at the Yale Divinity School hill off of Prospect Street.

The two girls, who have returned to in-person school during the pandemic, were thrilled about the snow day, and said they were ​“hoping they don’t have school tomorrow either.”

Across the street from the Burgess’s was Troy Ross, busily digging out his car.

Ross, a 29 year old member of the New Haven Fire Department, said that he didn’t have the day off.

“There are no snow days for the Fire Department,” he said. ​“Maybe there aren’t a lot of fires on days like this, but when the weather’s like this, and the roads are really bad, there can be a lot of car accidents. So we keep working, and we make sure we’re responding to everything we’re needed for.”

For anyone not responding to emergencies or doing other essential work, Ross said, he recommends staying warm at home.

Downtown, snow plows — some from the city public works department, some from Yale University, some from other private contractors — outnumbered cars on the streets.

At least one brave cyclist tried to pedal his way up Church Street.

On Bradley Street near New Haven Academy, Tony Maratea of Tony’s Home Services filled up the gas tank of his ATV-turned-snow plow.

When asked how the day was going, he smiled and said, ​“It’s stinking awesome.”

He said he and a small crew of snow plowers have worked on clearing private driveways and sidewalks throughout the East Rock neighborhood since 2004.

“I love East Rock, dude,” he said.

When asked about how he handles such heavy snowfall as Mondays, he refused the premise of the question.

“It’s not heavy,” he said. ​“This is light snow. There’s rain coming, and that will pack it down. We’re gonna spend a lot of time getting the light, fluffy snow out.”

He said he plans on taking a break at around 7 p.m., and then returning to the neighborhood at around 3 or 4 in the morning.

“Take a break, relax, rest the body,” he said about his plan. ​“As long as you do it in two stages, it’s fine.”

With a full tank and a quick thumbs up, he hopped back on his plow and headed up Lincoln Street.

47 Cars Towed; 45 Plows At Work

Outside of the municipal office building at 200 Orange St. at 2 p.m. Monday, Mayor Justin Elicker, city emergency management chief Rick Fontana, and Fire Chief John Alston urged New Haveners to be patient as the snow continued to fall.

The storm was still in the early stages of covering New Haven with what is expected to be heavy snowfall lasting through overnight.

They cautioned that it will probably take more than a while to get all 818 streets in town, including 101 dead-end streets, passable.

The city has crews out on 45 trucks to clear the roads.

“This is not something that’s going to be cleaned up in one day,” said emergency management chief Rick Fontana. ​“We’ll get it done. … Mother Nature will help us. We will get some warmer temperatures coming up.”

As of 2 p.m., the city had experienced no power outages or fallen trees, Fontana reported. ​“Fingers crossed.”

Fire Chief John Alston Jr. appealed to people not to block hydrants.

Fifteen people so far are at a warming center set up by the city.

An emergency parking ban is in effect until further notice. Parking is prohibited on both sides of downtown streets and along posted snow emergency routes; and on the odd-numbered sides of residential streets elsewhere in town.

As of 4 p.m., the city had tagged and towed 47 cars. If your car has been towed, click here and search by license plate to find your car.

You can park for $3 a day in the Crown Street, Temple Street and Granite Square parking garages starting Sunday evening. Yale also has made some parking lots available.

Yale New Haven Health mass vaccination clinics will be closed all Monday and Tuesday; its Covid testing sites will close noon Monday through noon Tuesday.

Just after 4 p.m. Monday night, the city sent out a mass email stating that the parking ban will stay in effect throughout the night.

“AS PEAK STORM APPROACHES WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOMES AND STAY OFF THE ROADS OUTSIDE OF EMERGENCIES,” read the all-caps message. ​“PLEASE MAKE SURE TO NOT PARK ON DESIGNATED SNOW ROUTES (look for signs) OR ON THE ODD SIDE OF ANY RESIDENTIAL STREET.”

Click on the Facebook Live video below to watch Monday’s press conference in full.