By Erin Nemastil
The City of Wyoming Michigan would like residents to take particular care as severe weather conditions continues throughout the year.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety is asking City residents to stay off of roadways by limiting their travel to immediate need situations when the roads are terrible. Residents should avoid exposure to the cold by limiting their time outdoors. Residents are also being asked to check on neighbors, especially the elderly, who may have a more difficult time dealing with the cold.
When the snow is very heavy the drivable area of streets and roads is already diminished. This causes difficulty not only for plow trucks but for emergency vehicles as well. First responders, police officers, fire fighters, and plow truck operators have requested if at all possible that cars not be parked on the street. If cars must be parked on the street, it is imperative residents comply with the odd-even parking ordinance.
Odd-even parking rules are as follow:
Park on the side of the street in which addresses that are odd or even align with the date being odd or even.
After midnight, your vehicle must be parked on the correct side of the street for that date.
Parked cars will not be ticketed from 7 p.m. to midnight. At any other time, cars must be parked on the correct side of the street according to that day’s date.
Odd-even parking rules apply to all streets in Wyoming that are not already designated “no parking.”
The large volume of snow has required plow trucks to be equipped with a front plow in addition to the underscraper. Front plows throw snow higher and farther. This force can be enough to cause damage or dents to mailboxes, and may even cause a mailbox to be knocked from a post. If a resident’s mailbox has been damaged by this thrown snow, they should contact the Wyoming Department of Public Works at 530-7260.
Drivers should be aware of their surroundings at all times when driving. Motorists who have to travel are reminded to maintain a safe distance behind plow trucks and other vehicles on the roadway.
Children should at no time play on, build forts or make tunnels in snow piles created by plows. Any tunnel or hole in a snow pile may be quickly filled in by snow shifting, being compacted or added.
If you see a fire hydrant that is inaccessible, please report it to Wyoming Fire Services at 530-7250. If residents are able, Wyoming Fire Services has requested assistance in clearing fire hydrants. Attached images show the difficulty of accessing a snow-covered fire hydrant, Fire Fighter Dan Deppe and Lt. Joe Jones demonstrating how to properly clear a fire hydrant and an image that illustrates a properly cleared fire hydrant.
To avoid freezing pipes in a home that has lost power or heat, residents may consider running cold water very slowly and keeping basements warm. In the case of a prolonged loss of power and heat, residents should turn off the water at the meter and open all taps in order to avoid damage caused by freezing pipes. If residents are unsure of this process, they should contact the Utility Billing office at 530-7389 for assistance.
In the event of widespread power outages, City officials have put together contingency plans to open a number of City facilities as temporary warming shelters. Those locations will be later identified if the need arises.
For further information, visit the City website at www.wyomingmi.gov. You can also find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CityofWyoming, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WyomingCityHall.
