Winter Storm Response

Winter storms bring snow, ice, and cold temperatures. This makes traveling difficult for buses, emergency vehicles, and you. Winter weather also puts people at risk who are experiencing health problems and homelessness. Plus, cold temperatures can cause pipes to freeze and burst.

• Road crews salt and plow roads and work with other departments to clear sidewalks near schools.
• City Light crews fix and restore power outages and respond to downed wires.
• Public Utilities clears storm drains, repairs broken pipes and water mains, and assesses snow and ice on the roads, notifying customers as soon as possible of any garbage, recycling, or food/yard waste collection delays due to unsafe conditions.
• When high winds are forecast, crews are ready to remove fallen trees from the road and power lines, and to repair traffic signs and signals.
• The Fire department works on injury prevention with safety messaging and by responding to fires, water main breaks, and making equipment ready to respond to emergencies during winter conditions.
• The Parks department opens golf courses and athletic fields to sledding and play if there is enough snow.