Town declares a snow emergency
Residents urged to stay home during storm
GREENWICH — With up to a foot of snow heading toward Greenwich by Thursday morning, the town declared a snow emergency Wednesday in anticipation of the storm.
Under the emergency, on-street parking was restricted throughout town starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday until further notice.
The Greenwich Public Schools also announced that Thursday will be a snow day for students and staff.
According to the National Weather Service, the town is under a winter storm watch. The forecast calls for as much as 12 to 18 inches of snow, with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph and temperatures in the 20s into Thursday morning.
The snow was expected to begin late Wednesday afternoon and continue until late Thursday morning.
The town’s Emergency Operations Center was activated at noon Wednesday in a monitoring phase.
First Selectman Fred Camillo used the town’s reverse 911 system to send a recorded message to residents, urging them to stay home during the storm.
“Travel may be hazardous from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon,” Camillo said. “Therefore, we are asking the public to remain off the roads during that time for everyone’s safety and to allow our DPW crews to clear the roads.”
Since the storm could result in power outages, Camillo advised residents make plans for backup power sources for critical needs such as heat and medical devices.
“Please take a moment to ensure any vulnerable family members or neighbors are adequately prepared,” he said.
The lobby of the Public Safety Com
plex, off Greenwich Avenue, will be open 24 hours a day as an emergency warming center.
With cars off the roads, it is easier for Department of Public Works crews and contractors to clear snow from town roadways.
Residents can park in driveways, yards or in town parking lots for free during the snow emergency. The emergency covers all of town. A full list of streets where parking is banned is posted on www.greenwichct.gov.
Property owners are required to keep sidewalks in front of their property clear of snow and ice.
DPW crews and contractors are not allowed to push snow from driveways or parking lots onto town streets and residents shoveling their walks or driveways are not allowed to push snow into the street.
“This practice is dangerous and impedes the town’s snow removal efforts,” the town said in the emergency announcement. “If there is no other alternative to pushing snow into the street, the private plow driver must plow off the windrow left across the street by re-plowing until the road is safe.”
The Holly Hill Resource Recovery Facility will be closed on Thursday. Greenwich’s library branches will be closed until 9 a.m. Friday, with no pickup of materials or reservations taken for computer usage.
Additionally, Greenwich Hospital will not be operating its remote coronavirus testing site on Thursday. It is expected to reopen on Friday morning.
Avoid any downed utility wires — assume they are live. Call Eversource or the town to report the downed wires.
Residents should call 911 only for emergencies.