The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for much of northern Illinois tomorrow afternoon alerting residents that the storm could be potentially life-threatening.
“In light of that alert, we’re telling residents if they don’t need to travel, they should stay home,” said Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall. “We want everyone to be safe.”
Forecasters are predicting at least a foot of snow with white-out conditions and snowfall rates of about two to three inches per hour. Strong winds are also expected.
The City of Elgin has initiated a proactive plan to ensure citizens are aware of its snow procedures during this major winter event.
Residents should not park on streets. Emergency snow routes will be activated and require that residents ensure their vehicles are off those roads. Cars not removed from these roads will be towed. For a full snow route listing click:
http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=524. Type “snow routes” in the search engine.
The City is also prepared to close roads for safety reasons that are known to be problematic for motorists. Those roads are: Nesler Rd, The Lawrence St. hill at Rt. 31, the Chicago St. hill at Liberty St. and the Shales Parkway hill. Drivers should use the next available intersection as an alternate route.
Snow removal will be on-going throughout the storm. However, because of the magnitude of the blizzard, residents are asked to be patient. Per city snow operation procedures, it is expected that snow will be removed from side streets within 24 hours after the storm ends. Once the storm has ended, salt will be applied to all streets as part of its routine snow operations plan.
All non-essential city buildings will be closed during the storm. An emergency warming shelter for residents in need is located at the Elgin Police Station, 151 Douglas St.
Elgin’s Police and Fire Departments are prepared to reach any resident requiring emergency police, fire or paramedic services.
“Residents needing emergency help can simply call 911,” said Elgin Fire Chief John Fahy. “Emergency services will function normally.”
Residents also can receive updates via the City’s website and Facebook or Twitter pages. Residents are also encouraged to register for Nixle to receive updates via text message or email. For more information go to http://www.cityofelgin.org/index.aspx?nid=82.
For specific concerns about snow and ice control, residents can contact Elgin’s 24-hour Snow Command Center at 847-931-5977 or by email at snowcommand@cityofelgin.org