I had the
pleasure of presenting to our Norfolk City Council on Team Norfolk's winter storm response
efforts. I am pleased to relay the sincere thanks they communicated
to the entire Team for a job done well! My
biggest regret, however, was the inability to accurately and effectively
articulate all who have played a part.
The After Action Report will be more thorough! This evening
Council also ratified the local emergency declaration which was terminated at
noon today.
Please note the city is back at normal operations tomorrow (Wednesday); however, while
conditions continue to improve, some organizations must take into account
conditions of residential roads which are still very slick.
Norfolk
Public Schools will be closed tomorrow except for 12-month
employees, Old Dominion University will operate under a 2-hour delay and
Norfolk State University will run at normal operations. Hampton Roads Transit reports normal ops.
Why not Residential
Roads?
One question received and frustration expressed during every winter weather incident pertains to residential roads. Why aren’t they plowed? The reason has to do with cost, convenience and safety.
One question received and frustration expressed during every winter weather incident pertains to residential roads. Why aren’t they plowed? The reason has to do with cost, convenience and safety.
First has to
the amount of risk accepted by a southern coastal community where significant
winter weather is not a frequent occurrence – unlike our neighbors to the North
North/East. Also, Norfolk also has 600+
lane miles of primary and secondary roads and 1,700+ miles of residential roads. Current level of risk accepted and funded by
the community is insufficient to plow all roads. Rather than purchasing and maintaining snow moving
equipment (with additional staff to operate) which would be idle most of the
year, in some cases – like this most recent storm – temporary contract support
may be the best option. This cost / benefit
discussion will reoccur during our after action discussion.
If plentiful
snow response resources did exist, most of Norfolk’s residential roads
accommodate on-road parking. Therefore,
snow plowed by crews would serve to burry vehicles in-place as we’ve seen even
on some primary and secondary roads. Lastly,
residential roads in Norfolk are extremely narrow, and with such slick
conditions, could easily result in both city and private property damage.
What’s with the naming
of Winter Storms?
The National Weather Service / National Hurricane Center (NHC) have named tropical storms since 1953 (background available here). Names were not given to winter storms until The Weather Channel began during the 2012-2013 winter season in order to raise awareness of the threat. This is a valid reason when there are examples of individuals overlooking and falling victim to a weather events when no name was given (example here). Confusion comes, however, when dealing with insurance and losses. It is my understanding named storm deductibles (or hurricane deductibles) for insurance are in play once the National Hurricane Center give name to the incident - and again, they do not name winter storms. Bottom line: please discuss your policy with your carrier to ascertain their interpretation of “named storms.”
The National Weather Service / National Hurricane Center (NHC) have named tropical storms since 1953 (background available here). Names were not given to winter storms until The Weather Channel began during the 2012-2013 winter season in order to raise awareness of the threat. This is a valid reason when there are examples of individuals overlooking and falling victim to a weather events when no name was given (example here). Confusion comes, however, when dealing with insurance and losses. It is my understanding named storm deductibles (or hurricane deductibles) for insurance are in play once the National Hurricane Center give name to the incident - and again, they do not name winter storms. Bottom line: please discuss your policy with your carrier to ascertain their interpretation of “named storms.”
Lastly, please
find attached the National Weather Service’s official graphic for the observed
snowfall for January 7. Also, please
send us any comments, questions or concerns for immediate attention or inclusion in the after action process. We are very interested hearing what went
well because it’s important to recognize, celebrate and build on
successes. At the same time, it’s
imperative we include and address areas of improvement. This is the only recipe for continued improvement
for the Team and our plans!
Thank you
and have a great evening!
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