NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — It has been a pretty quiet winter so far, but snow is finally on its way.
"I'm happy for the snow to come tomorrow," said Reagan Waller of Hartford.
People spent the day getting ready for what's to come.
"We bought some salt, we put it down already. We're getting prepared. Got our gas and everything too," said Tahjae Thompson of Hartford.
Towns and cities are prepared too. Even as many deal with COVID-related staffing shortages within their departments of public works.
"We've at last count had about 30 employees which is about 15% of our DPW team that was out. The rest of the team is ready to step up and do what needs to be done," said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
That means pre-treating the roads and plowing once the snow starts to fall. That's where parking bans come in. Hartford, West Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury and Newington are just a few of the communities that will have one in place. They are asking people to take their cars off the roads so crews have enough room to work.
"To allow our DPW crews to get down those roads, to clear the streets curb to curb. To not people's property at risk, people's cars at risk of getting damaged and to allow our team to do it safely and well it's really important to keep those streets clear," Bronin said.
He said the city tends to see the least compliance with the first storm of the season because people forget and that can come at a price.
"I definitely forgot to do it. I feel like I'm a good example. And it was expensive to get my car back, so remember!" said Ashley Yoakam of Hartford.
During the storm, officials are also asking everyone to stay off the roads if possible.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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