We are in the recovery mode.
That’s what Lori Getter at Wisconsin Emergency Management says about clean-up efforts after the blizzard the wreaked havoc in much of southern Wisconsin. The most repeated phrase … “it’s going to take time.” Getter says, “All the plows are out moving, interstates opened. … we do have some roads that are closed. It’s just going to take time for the plows to get out there so people need to be patient. Traffic is moving but it is moving slowly.”
The Racine area had the most snow accumulation with 22 inches; Madison had 18 and a half inches. The sunshine is working in our favor in conjunction with road salt, but Getter says that won’t last long. “One thing we are concerned about though is we are going to have some bitter temperatures later tonight … some below zero temperatures with wind chills by morning of 20 to 30 below zero. So a lot of that salt and different brines don’t work when it gets that cold.”
There was one snow-related fatality — a 66-year-old man in the Milwaukee area had a heart attack while shoveling snow. Getter says, despite many crashes and probably several hundred spinouts and abandoned vehicles; there aren’t any reports of serious injuries, just a lot of inconveniences.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:25
UPDATE: The death toll in Wisconsin from this week’s double dose of snow has risen to at least three. Two men from Milwaukee, ages 53 and 66, died from heart attacks while shoveling after the blizzard Wednesday. A 54-year-old man from Franklin collapsed while using a snow-blower to clear his sidewalk. The Milwaukee suburb of Hales Corners had the highest snow total for a 48-hour period, coming in at 28 inches.