Posted on 01/25/2007 8:18:14 AM PST by kellynla
Anchorage, Alaska - Anchorage has been hit with more than 74 inches of snow this season, and according to the city, it's reaching a crisis level, with snow removal on the streets becoming a big problem.
The roads are looking smaller these days around town, as two-lane roads are quickly becoming one. The city can plow the roads, but where it can remove the snow to another location is a problem.
It is a long, tiring day for Joyce Elliston.
"I've lived in Alaska since 1967 and I don't remember ever having this much snow before," Elliston said.
It's everywhere, covering her cars and her house. Digging out from 74 inches of snow is slow going for everyone.
"It's just a small street and with the added snow, I don't know where we're going to put it all," said Elliston.
That's a problem even the city faces. The city can plow it off the road, but then what? It's not legal to move the snow onto people's property, so it all starts piling up, leaving drivers with skinny streets.
"Makes it a lot more difficult to access houses," said fireman Jeff Hoke from Station 14
That's scary news for the Anchorage Fire Department.
"The rigs are hard to maneuver. Their big and with the added snow and already narrow streets, it makes it a lot more difficult for us," said Hoke.
The city is already $2 million over budget for snow removal this season, and says the situation is nearing crisis, with clearing crews working six day weeks.
And it won't be completely done until the white stuff turns into the wet stuff.
City officials says Anchorage has been hit with twice the amount of snow that typically falls during the winter, and the season is only half over potentially.
The city also says that only police can write tickets for illegally-parked cars due to snow accumulation, or for residents pushing snow into streets.
But community service operators have been working these past two weeks taking information about illegal snow removers and passing that information on to police, who can then either write a ticket or give a warning.
This looks like a job for the Hummer.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Now that's a good way to foster cooperation.
My sister lives in Anchorage and she told me it doesn't snow anymore in Anchorage because of global warming. She says that global warming is also the reason that polar bears are becoming cannibals....sigh!
I don't see how Bill Clinton's "hummer" would help, but it does seem like a good opportunity for Al Gore to go on up there and deliver one of his speeches.
This is the real puzzle for scientists?: Why does Global Warming only seem to occur during the Summer??? Paging Heidi Culen!
What? No FEMA cards? No "Bush's Fault"? No billions for snow removal?
Winter=cold=snow. Live with it. Global Warming...Geez!
Cold causes shrinkage? Who woulda thought?
"But community service operators have been working these past two weeks taking information about illegal snow removers and passing that information on to police, who can then either write a ticket or give a warning."
Uhhhh.....
Illegal snow removers?
I don't know what the average temperatures in Anchorage are this winter compared to normal, but people do understand that a location that's normally pretty cold can actually have much higher snowfall than normal ALONG with having above-normal temperatures, right?
We were planning to go to Anchorage for the Iditarod in March. We cancelled because the frequent flyer tickets didn't work out. Worse, the musher we were going to cheer from Michigan had to drop out because he hasn't been able to train his dog team. No snow here.
In Chicago they loaded the snow in trucks and dumped it outside of town.
Some years it would last until the next winter.
People need to make INTELLIGENT arguments against GW - simply gloating over a bunch of snow is meaningless, because like a said, in a location that's normally below freezing pretty much all winter, you not only can have greatly increased snowfall with temperatures ABOVE average, it's actually likely (because moist ocean airmasses tend to be a bit warmer than really cold and dry continental airmasses.
Dear Rebecca, you are a journalist. You likely have an editor. You are both lazy or incompetent or careless, or all of the above. Take a look at the verbatim quote from your article and tell me what's wrong with it.
""The rigs are hard to maneuver. Their big and with the added snow and already narrow streets, it makes it a lot more difficult for us," said Hoke."
-or-
Deer Rebecca, your a journalist. You likely have a editor. Your both lazy or incontinent or careless or both. Take a look at the verbatim quote from you're article and tell me whats wrong with it.
FYI it actually has to warm up before it snows here unless its windy which does happen a lot when it near or under zero and blows the snow in drifts. I have over 3 feet around my house here about 50 miles north of Anchorage, Valdez has over 27 FEET! We get light ice crystals under 20 degrees and basically because its semi-arid here we usually get dry snow, when I lived in the Sierra Nevada I have seen 3 feet of snow fall in less than 12 hours and its very very wet, have to use chains, we just use studded snow tires here.
Global warming? yeah right...I will say yes when I see polar bears sipping pina coladas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ogUCrZafY
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