The Rawlings-Blake Review #3: Snow Storm Recovery Efforts

This week, more and more streets in the city came out from under the piles of snow that fell in this month's historic snowstorm. City and contractor vehicles are working to make Baltimore's roads accessible for everyone. As I have said since before the first flake fell, this city is not clear until your street is clear. We appreciate your patience and feedback as we work to complete this historic task.

There are approximately 250 city fleet vehicles involved in the snow-removal effort. We deploy plows, front-end loaders, bobcats and supervisory vehicles. Since February 5, our fleet has driven more than 120,000 cumulative miles.

But clearing all of Baltimore's 4,300 lane-miles is a big job, and we need help. At the peak of our snow-removal effort, a total of 50 contractors with approximately 622 pieces of equipment worked along side the city fleet. The contracting force was three times the size of the city's force. They provide loading and hauling equipment that the city does not have in large supply.

I called for the use of private equipment because the 50 inches of snow has taken its toll on the city's fleet. Our trucks and drivers are overworked after running on overdrive 24 hours a day.

In the coming days, we will continue to work on the city's gateways and major arteries to open up additional lanes of travel, reducing traffic congestion in the morning and evening. We will also address unsafe conditions, such as ice and mounds of snow, as well as complaints in our 311 system.

As I reflect on my first two weeks as Mayor and the historic storm that has been the center of our attention, I am frequently impressed with the stellar work of city employees. Working long hours in stressful conditions can often create bad results. Rather, these conditions resulted in excellent examples of teamwork.

During the storm, the city responded to every single call for emergency service. The Fire Department responded to 2969 EMS calls and 790 fire calls, including four working fires. The Police Department responded to 21,012 calls. This was because of our strategic deployment of police resources and the added support of National Guard Humvees. What's more, crime was down 70% during the storm;

The Baltimore City Health Department, in partnership with the Maryland Transit Administration, transported all registered city dialysis patients during the storm. A total of 3,485 runs were made. No one was left stranded in their home waiting for dialysis;

The city's 24-7 homeless shelter was open for anyone in need. No one was turned away during the storm. The shelter housed an average of 431 people and fed an average of 1,100 meals daily;

The Department of Transportation has been working nonstop to provide direct assistance to the city school system to clear school lots, sidewalks and bus stops. BCPSS requests near schools are complete;

This week, Parking Authority personnel helped procure the Canadian snow melter, which is targeting mounds of snow in communities.

Because of a historic effort by city employees, Baltimore is back to work. The MTA reports that their transit service is back up above 90%, and Department of Public Works crews have resumed trash collection.

I am proud of the way city employees and city residents responded to these two storms. That being said, if I never see a flake of snow fall on this city again, it will be too soon.