MILWAUKEE — Though a flake hasn’t hit the ground yet, Milwaukee DPW crews are pounding the pavement with solutions and salt to try and ease the pain for Tuesday’s commute.
“We’ve been doing this for years,” Jeff Laufenberg, DPW Urban Forestry District Manager said. “We’re good at it. We’re prepared.”
Those preparations include rolling crews working 12-hour shifts during the entirety of the storm. Starting at 9:00 p.m. Monday, 101 trucks are out preparing the roads with salt and a salt brine to prevent freezing conditions. The focus will start on the main thoroughfares and then focus on those side streets when they’re able.
“You never know what’s going to happen, especially with the lake so close,” Laufenberg said. “We kind of prepare for the worst but expect anything.”
The expectation is for this storm to pack heavy, wet snow. That snow sticks to everything it touches, like tree branches. We Energies is warning customers about this issue, saying branches are more likely to break under the weight of snow like this. Those branches could crash into power lines causing headaches for homeowners.
And with temperatures as cold as they are, losing power could be life or death.
“What can we do to make this a little more comfortable?” Pastor James West, Executive Director of Repairers of the Breach said. “We’re in Wisconsin, period. You never know what you’re going to get.”
Repairers of the Breach is one of five warming shelters in the city. It is located near 14th & Vliet. While the facility is bracing for the storm, its doors have been a welcome sight for one man for the last two months.
“They keep us out of the cold,” Anthony Murphy said.
Murphy is down on his luck after losing his home about two months ago. He’s about a week away from getting his own roof over his head again but on a night like this, having a warm place to relax is critical.
“To know I have a place like this and not sleep on the street, it’s a blessing,” Murphy said. “I need it.”
While most of the people at Repairers of the Breach are experiencing homelessness, West says everyone is welcome. He’s aware that some people who are used to having a roof over their head may run into some bad luck like Murphy has. West says, their doors will be open to those folks who need to warm up.
“Our main thing is to have an open-door policy,” West said. “To come to our doors, all you have to have is a need.”
For more information on the City’s warming centers, you can call 211 or visit their website.
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