2 Friday, February 11, 2022brooklintowncrier.com Brooklin's Community Newspaper Proud to be a Brooklinite Since 2000. Published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 editorofbtc@gmail.com Circulation 8000 Delivery via Canada Post Locally owned and operated. A publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, February 25, 2022 Deadline: Friday, February 18, 2022 Dave Speed and Hector Moreno didn't have to ponder this question for more than a few seconds: Had you ever before seen anything like that snowstorm? Speed, Whitby's Fire Chief, harkened back to 1999 when Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman called in the army to help with a snowstorm. Moreno, who is Whitby Manager of Roads and Transportation, went back further, to 1990. Except, as he pointed out, that storm's dump was over three days. Which is to say that what we experienced placed huge pressures on our resources. There were complaints about roads not yet plowed, windrows untouched, and sidewalks perhaps cleared but devoid of salt. Before the storm, around 700 Whitby residents had signed up for the seniors windrow program. Even more have registered since. "We did struggle to meet the public's expectations," Speed admits. "It was very unusual. Our setup was not designed for that much snow in such a short time." Moreno's department has access to a special weather provider that gives forecasts three times a day. As the storm approached, Moreno explains, he and his staff were looking at projections days in advance, deciding what equipment would be activated, where and when. The problem was that the forecast couldn't provide conclusive information regarding the rate of snowfall. "I don't think we'd ever be able to adequately staff for a 55 cm storm," Moreno adds. After the initial 5 cm fell, it became clear they were facing something unusual. As Moreno said, it became "all hands on deck" mighty quickly. He himself managed about four hours of sleep each night during the storm. For the most part, while the hilly remnants of the event remain on our lawns, Speed and Moreno are preparing a report to council on what was done and why. To that end, they've been meeting with each councillor to obtain a list of the key complaints and where they were centered. "The number of complaints were relatively small compared with the population," Speed says. "We did a pretty good job under the circumstances." Still, the two state they're keeping an open mind as to what would need to happen in the event of a similar storm. Moreno refers to needing to be mindful of their fiscal responsibility. In other words, running out to buy more equipment and hire more staff isn't necessarily the solution at this time. Morale among staff during those harrowing hours was high, even with the fatigue. "There was a sense of pride in the job they did," says Moreno. Meanwhile, with neighbours helping neighbours, we experienced first-hand what a sense of community we do have, with or without plows. Less than half the picture by Richard Bercuson Brooklin TOWN CRIER.com 413: No Tolls 412-418: Tolls Still there Aftermath of The Snowpocalypse Restaurants! To help our local restaurants re-open we are offering a one-time trade for advertising. Please contact mulcahy42@rogers.com to discuss a trade of gift certificates in exchange for advertising during the months of February or March. Doggie Stella prefers to ride than walk on ice.