December, 2009

We asked readers to share their stories with us about the Christmas storm.

Here's what they had to say:

Walking home with the wind

Deb Dinkelman reports that her husband, Gary, was scheduled to work at the lab at Columbus Community Hospital on Christmas Day.

He got up early to clear the driveway, and later realized his cell phone fell off his belt clip and was lost in the snow. So, as he made his way toward Columbus around 5 a.m., in the dark, he was without a phone.

No one was happier to see the wind die down on Monday night than the local crew members with the Nebraska Department of Roads.

"Last night was the first night we didn't have wind blowing roads shut," said Bob Schmit, manager of the 10-member crew at the David City shop. "That's our biggest problem, the wind."

Snow cleanup could last weeks

City Street Superintendent Jim McDonald said that city employees from every department are involved in clearing the streets of the 12-plus inches of snow, including drifts up to five feet deep on some streets.

McDonald suggested several ways that the public can help the street crews tackle the job in a timely fashion.

Downtown businesses can clear their sidewalks as soon as possible so the city trucks can scrape the extra sidewalk snow away from the parking areas, he said.