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It’s your Mayor, Danny! December has already been a snowy one, and I want to pull back the curtain a bit and share what happens behind the scenes as your City teams get ready for winter weather. As Mayor, my priority is keeping Richmond moving while making sure that the people doing the delivering are safe, supported, and equipped to do their jobs well. I hope this look at City operations helps you understand some of what’s happening around town the next time we start to see those flurries and reminds you that we’re always working to show up for our residents. | | |
Preparations start well before snow or ice are in the forecast and involve so many of our teams around the City. | In November, snowplow crews took on practice runs of all 60 (!) of the city’s snow routes. Those dry runs help with testing equipment, figuring out if there are streets or areas that will be challenging for plows, and generally learning the route. | Public Works also stocked up on salt and sand (almost 10,000 tons total), along with chemicals to prevent bridges from freezing. | Teams focused on community outreach and homelessness have been working with local partners to stand up robust inclement weather shelter ahead of major weather events. The Salvation Army Cold Weather Shelter officially opened for the season on November 15, but this year the Shelter opened a few earlier days in November because of the unusually cold temperatures. | Public Utilities used a new winter checklist that kicks in 72 hours before anticipated weather. That refined process helped them confirm that snow clearing equipment, fuel sources, and personnel were ready to go before snow even showed up. | | |
When snow or serious ice are in the forecast, we don’t take closing City offices or buildings lightly. Those decisions are based on expert guidance from our emergency management teams—in concert with our public works, public utility, Police and other partners—who are evaluating roadways and future weather forecasts. If we start to see signs that we might need to close buildings for safety reasons, we meet early to discuss, coordinate with partners like RPS and our city’s state buildings, and work toward a decision with enough time to notify staff and their families.
| | Even when City locations are closed or on a delay, many City services are still operating around the clock to keep residents safe and to support community needs. | | |
Our Emergency Management team monitored weather and coordinated with local and regional partners. They also stood up an Emergency Operations Center on December 5, December 8, and December 9, to make sure decisions could be made and communicated quickly. | Crews pre-treated and removed snow from the city’s 1860 lane miles. They take on this work based on a pre-determined priority list. First up are always bridges, major thoroughfares, arterial streets like Broad Street and Midlothian Turnpike, and emergency routes—that includes access to important resources like water plants so that personnel can get in and out to perform their critical roles. | General Services worked to get City buildings open quickly and safely. They’re the folks who were treating the sidewalks around City buildings, monitoring our facilities for any weather issues, and making sure City vehicles—like plows and emergency response vehicles—were in working order and repaired quickly. | Our 911 Call Center, the Public Utilities Call Center, and 311 all stayed fully operational in order to respond to resident needs and emergencies, many weather related. 911 dispatched the Richmond Fire Department and the Richmond Police Department to emergencies related to traffic crashes, disabled vehicles, structure fires, and gas leaks. 311 helped more than 2200 callers during our snow days! | Communications about closures, delays, and operational impacts went out on TV stations, social media, and through the Richmond Ready Alerts system. Our powerhouse Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement made sure alerts were translated. For a full timeline of communications and updates, you can review go.rva.gov/winter-weather. | | |
After any event like our winter weather, Emergency Management takes the lead on after-action analysis and reporting. There’ll be more to come as we take stock of how this winter weather response went and figure out what we can do even more effectively the next time around. What I want you to know is that we’re operating from a place of advance planning and preparation and that we’re constantly working to improve those processes.
On a snow day, it’s an honor to wake up and know that we have a responsibility to get the roads clear, keep services running, and make sure folks stay safe and warm. I hope knowing a bit more about what’s happening around the city will help you feel more able to focus on the things that matter most to you and your loved ones this month—being together, observing this holiday season, and reflecting on the year that was.
With gratitude and best wishes for safe and joyful holidays,
Danny
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