When most people in the North Country’s lake-effect band drop zone woke up Thursday and headed into work, they were certainly expecting to see a bit more snow.
But residents also know where they live, and that no matter what, need to remain prepared for the big storm because in the North Country, things can change in a matter of minutes.
What You Need To Know
- Thursday saw the first major lake-effect snowstorm of the season in the North Country
- The NYS DOT spent days preparing for the storm, setting schedules, routes and inspecting plows to ensure they were ready
- The DOT has about 120 plows in Region 7 and 300 drivers, and while it would always need more drivers, it says it is all set to ensure this storm is well taken care of
“We can see the storm coming from the west,” said Sean Hennessy, assistant commissioner at the state Department of Transportation (DOT) Region 7. “As it makes its way to the North Country, we can gauge what kind of intensity we will see over a period of time. That will give us a clue on where to send our staff and move our trucks to.”
Hennessy and his team tracked the storm for days. Preparations included assigning plow drivers certain shifts and zeroing in on where they will be best served hitting the roads.
“We have two different shifts that we cover here with an "A" shift and a "B" shift. There is a lot of effort going into this particular storm,” Hennessey said.
As those plans were finalized, there were also staffers out in the fleet garage getting the trucks ready. Region 7 has about 120 plows and 300 drivers who work on 12-hour shifts to make sure roads are as passable as possible, at all times.
“If they’re not out on the road and not behind the wheel, the road isn’t getting plowed. So we are constantly moving. They’ll take a break here and there, but it’s a tough job being an operator,” Hennessey said.
Before every truck hits the road, it needs to pass a full inspection. For this storm, the North Country received additional trucks from Region 3 in Syracuse. Once those trucks arrive, they also have to go through the inspection before they can go out and push snow.
“We want to make sure that our staff, the folks on the road, get back to their families at the end of a given workday and making sure our equipment is up and running and in prime condition is really a paramount part of our success in fighting snow,” Hennessey added.
The weather in the North Country changes on a dime, but on Thursday afternoon, it was much safer than it could have been due to preparation.
In Region 7, Hennessy said that while there will always be a need for drivers, there are enough right now to ensure the job gets done the way it should.