LAUREL — The City of Laurel is in its second day of a state of emergency following a severe snowstorm that hit the area on Friday.
Laurel Mayor Dave Waggoner issued the state of emergency Friday afternoon, urging locals to stay off the roads if possible. This decision allowed the city to free up resources to bring in additional contractors to help clear roadways.
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For many residents, the snowstorm arrived unexpectedly.
“It was very shocking," said Laurel resident Andrew Farquhar. "I've never seen a state emergency, town emergency (...) all the years I've lived here since 2020, never seen it.”
Farquhar was outside Saturday morning clearing snow from the sidewalk in front of the Palace Bar and Lanes to ensure pedestrian safety. While the snow did not slow down business for the establishment on Friday night, Farquhar acknowledged that the snow accumulation posed challenges.
“People are having tough times getting stuck, getting out of driveways. It's just hard for people to get out and get places," said Farquhar.
Despite the inconvenience, the state of emergency has allowed Public Works Director Matt Wheeler and his team the added resources to move forward with quicker snow removal efforts.
"About noon (Friday), it was not looking very positive, and talked to our mayor, Dave Waggoner, and he told us to, or told me to do what needed to be done, and we did," Wheeler told MTN in a phone interview on Saturday. "We had seven people out today and yesterday up to 12."
In addition to the city's six large snowplows, three private contractors were brought in to clear snow from three separate neighborhoods. Wheeler estimates the snow removal effort will cost the city $4,000.
“The last couple of years we've been very fortunate to not have to do a lot, but when it does happen, it needs to be done," said Wheeler.
For some, the snowstorm and its aftermath of the state of emergency came as a surprise. The Kojder family, who were shoveling their sidewalk Saturday, expressed their disbelief over the storm's scale.
"It started off nice enough and it went pretty sour by the afternoon and it was so bad. We were shoveling snow while it was still snowing. (...) For one day that was a lot of snow, probably the worst I've ever seen," said Steve Kojder. “Wouldn't call it an emergency I guess but that's just me."
“I was quite surprised," added his daughter Marion regarding the emergency order.
The order will remain in effect for 72 hours, and city officials continue to ask residents to avoid unnecessary travel if possible, as roads are still being cleared.
“People need to be able to do what they need to be able to do, whether pick up kids at school, wherever they need to be, they need to be there. So we do the best we can to accommodate that," said Wheeler.
For now, it is a waiting game for both city workers and residents alike, but many continue to brave the heavy snowfall and hope for clearer roads soon.
“This is a friendly town and you got to live with the snow. It comes and goes here,” said Steve.
“Stay safe and try to stay off the road as much as possible," urged Farquhar.
