January 6, 2023 |
Following any big snow storm, the question is always the same whether you’re shoveling your driveway or plowing out a maze of narrow streets packed with cars. Where do you pile up the snow?
The answer became critical this week as the snow kept falling. Two feet of snow was on the ground by Tuesday afternoon. Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator Lenny Layman updated county commissioners yesterday on how the impacts from this week’s storm created issues in the Rawlins and along Interstate 80.
Layman described the logistics of how snow is handled in the city to keep streets open to traffic, especially emergency vehicles.
File photo of snow management in Rawlins. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
The emergency management coordinator said concerns ran high on Tuesday and Wednesday about having enough room for fire trucks or ambulances to navigate narrow city streets. Layman said the streets are clear now for emergency responders.
Layman described a “large snow event” as a storm that produces six inches or more. Only one or two inches of snow is expected today and again on Wednesday, which Layman described as “not a big deal.”
Moving tanker trucks on closed highways was another challenge this week. Long stretches of Interstate 80 across southern Wyoming were closed for a day or more at times this week. Layman talked about coordinating with multiple agencies to make sure critical fuel supplies from H.F. Sinclair could keep moving.
Layman said his work is done behind the scenes “as it should be.”
