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<br />News Release <br />March 21, 2012 <br />Contact: 541.913.1244 <br /> <br />PUBLIC INFORMATION LINE # 541.682.6000 <br /> <br />Public Works Crews Switch to 12 Hour Shifts <br />When the snow starts to fall school children aren’t the only ones to monitor the accumulation. City of <br />Eugene Public Works staff have been monitoring the situation since the weather reports began. At 3:00 <br />a.m. this morning crews shifted into emergency response mode and many employees were called in to <br />begin working 12 hours on and 12 hours off throughout the duration of the storm. <br />Snow plows have been out clearing roadways throughout the morning and by 11:00 a.m. had plowed <br />nearly all of the primary snow routes identified on the City’s snow plan (). <br />www.eugene-or.gov/snow <br />th <br />Crews are now working on secondary routes in the hills and have cleared areas of 18 near Hawkins and <br />Timberline, higher elevations of Friendly Street, Polk, and Willamette near Donald. <br />Rather than ice, today’s weather concerns involve heavy wet snow that is weighing down trees, <br />branches and downing power lines. By 10:00 a.m. the City had received more than 100 reports of <br />downed trees blocking roadways and public right of ways and had responded to approximately 45 <br />incidents. <br />Resources were pulled together and staff began receiving phone calls reporting damages, downed trees <br />and impassable roadways. For perspective a busy day for public works administrative staff is marked by <br />roughly 80 calls, this morning staff had answered and assisted more 200 citizens’ phone calls. <br />While the calls continue to come in staff will record and notify crews of the locations of issues and then <br />areas will be addressed based on overall impact. <br />Citizens are asked not to attempt to knock snow from tree branches as the integrity of the branch may <br />have already been compromised and the natural snow melt has begun which will lighten the burden <br />organically. <br />Residents are reminded to call 541.682.6000 for non-emergency weather related issues such as downed <br />trees on public property. Please do not call 911 for these issues. Calling 911 overwhelms emergency <br />communications centers and interferes with life-threatening calls for service. <br />For information on power outages EWEB has provided an information line of 541.484.2300. <br /># # # <br />