Slow snow cleanup sparks frustration in some communities after historic blizzard
By Sera Congi, Mary Saladna, Imani Clement
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TAUNTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Residents living in Taunton and Raynham, Massachusetts, said they were beyond frustrated with the cleanup process after a historic blizzard dropped nearly 3 feet of snow on their communities.
Route 44 in Raynham had a rocky layer of ice Tuesday morning.
“Snow-covered, not slush. You can get through slush,” said Uber driver Rendie Myers. “I’m pulling up to people’s houses where their driveways are. Cars are stuck, and I’m driving them around.”
Along Route 24, some abandoned cars were barely visible, buried in snowbanks.
In Taunton, nearly 30 inches of snow fell. Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell said crews are working around the clock to clear 300 miles of roadway.
However, residents said they are struggling.
“People are busting their backs out here. The plows come by and push it right back on it,” one resident said. “How is somebody with a snowblower or a shovel supposed to move that?”
Frustration is an understatement for residents living on Dean and Presbrey avenues, who said the plows have not come by. Some are trying to clear the streets themselves, worried about whether emergency vehicles can get in.
“Here, it’s ridiculous we have to live like this,” another neighbor said. “They haven’t come down here yet, and I don’t know if they’re going to come here or not. Terrible!
O’Connell is asking residents for patience, saying that if a street has not been cleared, it’s not because it’s been overlooked but because there are so many streets and the volume of snow is extraordinary.
In Fall River, residents were also upset at the snow removal progress. The city received over 2 feet of snow, and by Tuesday, streets were still unplowed.
“I have to plow myself out to go to work tomorrow because I just started a new job and I can’t afford to call out. It’s pretty sad. You pay taxes— for what?” one resident said.
Impassable streets made travel difficult for emergency services as well.
“We’ve been left jumping over the snow banks and kind of crawling and shoveling our way up the main streets,” Fall River fire lieutenant Michael LaFleur said. “Unfortunately, it’s created a significant delay in us actually getting to the location of the emergency by the sheer volume of snow that’s on the ground.”
Residents on Diman Street are trying to remain hopeful.
“They did do that street over there with a front loader, so we’re hoping that we get it over here soon,” Eric Rodrigues said.
Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said additional snow removal equipment will arrive on Wednesday from the state. The city hopes to make significant progress by Friday, but admits it will take another week or so to clear the roughly 30 inches that fell Sunday into Monday.
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