Courtesy of Eliza Newman
With it becoming clear to Facilities here at the University that a large storm, with high winds was in store Friday, Feb. 8 preparations were being made.
By monitoring weather situations through the Weather Channel, local news and a premium service through Accuweather, which provides more detail, preparations were beginning for possible power outages affecting on campus residences not on generators.
“Storm tracks can vary especially in the northeast so at about 48 hours out (Wednesday in this case) Facilities began checking equipment, preparing staff assignments and notifying our primary snow removal contractor,” Norman Young said in an email explaining how the University handled the recent Winter Storm Nemo and Blizzard Charlotte.
Four Seasons LLC, that contractor used by Facilities, operated the large front-end loaders use on campus used for the storm, Young explained.
“With snow depths this great, pushing snow is ineffective,” Young explained. “In many cases it must be thrown or moved. Large snow blowers and front end loaders work well with heavy snow but the process is very slow.”
The equipment being checked such as the operating condition of plows, snow blowers, sanders and shovels, as well as staff assignments such as postponing scheduled time off and projects like overhauling spring and summer landscape care equipment, repairing of pot holes, repairing of items like fences guard rails and signs.
After such, planning meetings took place on Thursday with Facilities, Residential Life, Public Safety, Office of Marketing and Communications, Food Service, the Provost’s office and the President, Young explained.
Then, by putting previously developed plans, such as reading the Sports Center as an emergency shelter location if power lost, communication and timing including web, text, phone and social media outlets, Academic and event schedule impacts, condition of and readiness of our campus generators including fuel levels, availability of supplies such as plywood, duct tape, portable generators, heaters in the even of power loss and wind damage, staffing of phones to answer parent questions, and with high confidence that the storm would hit the area, an early decision to close was made.
“All of these issues have been vetted and procedures have been put in place,” Young said. “The planning meeting is designed to check in with all the key people to double check that everything is in place.
“Every emergency situation is different and a lot of time passes and people change between emergencies so it’s always a good idea [to] talk it all through.”
With the decision for weather related closures, a process that includes a joint recommendation, Young explained, by himself, the Associate Provost to the President, who make the final decision, Friday came.
“As the storm began to pick up and snow began to accumulate, Facilities and our contractor began removing snow from key area,” Young said, with key areas being the main road ways and entrances to the Sports Center and Commons.
“At this point in time, the changing forecast stood at 12 to 18 inches,” Young went on to say. “As the forecasted snow amount increased to 18 to 24 inches with heavy snow rates per hour predicted overnight into Saturday morning, it became clear that continued removal would be fruitless and operations were put on hold until the storm subsided early Saturday.
“This decision was reinforced as the forecast increased to over 24 inches late Friday night.”
With the storm having been prepped for and arriving, next for facilities was to clear the main roads and residential area, which included Commons for food service and the Sports Center which must remain open for emergency sheltering purposes and for general student use.
“The storm left 27 inches of snow which I believe is the most this area has seen in one storm since the Blizzard of ’78,” Young said. “This presented a significant challenge and the amount of snow rendered some of our smaller equipment useless or at best ineffective.” Walk behind snow blowers and plow blades attached to small trucks being that smaller equipment, Young further explained, which he said are effective in most storms but not effective in storm that left 27 inches of snow.
With high winds continuing through the day on Saturday, Young said, resulting in snow being blown back onto clear surfaces, compounding the problem, “it soon became apparent that clearing the residential areas would continue into at least Sunday and that the Academic areas would have to wait.
“This prompted a decision to cancel all events for Sunday and close school for Monday.”
“We have a somewhat unique situation on our campus in the number of entrances and exits to be cleared at our residential areas,” Youn said. “Most people think of a residence hall as having a front door and perhaps a back door or fire exit much like Hawk Hall. We have multiple entrances and exits in most areas.”
“For example, there are almost 250 entrances, and egress areas in the Village Apartments alone,” Young continued to explain. “Each Complex has 4 entrances and 4 exits including those from the basement level. Most of these include stairs, stoops and ramps which must be hand shoveled.”
“Add to that the sidewalks, parking areas, mechanical room doors, and fire hydrants and you begin to get the daunting picture,” he added. “Many of the same issue occur in the academic areas where the majority of the work took place on Sunday.”
“This was an extraordinary storm and with that many extraordinary people rose to the occasion,” Young concluded his email with. “Facilities staff, especially the grounds crew, Public Safety officers and ARAMARK staff worked over many days with little sleep and that sleep for many came wherever they could find a bed or flat surface on campus.
“Many of our Resident Facilities Assistants (RFA’s) and some of our custodial staff took up shovels and worked in the cold and rain to clear critical areas and get the campus ready for opening.
“Their dedication to our community and “get it done” attitude is worthy of note and I hope appreciated by all.”