Community Corner

Peabody in the Wake of the Blizzard

The city was spared any major incidents during the course of the storm and plow crews continue to work round the clock.

It was a blizzard of historic nature, but you would only know it in Peabody by the amount of snow left behind in its wake -- all 25 plus inches of it.

There were no major power outages in Peabody, according to the Peabody Municipal Light Plant, and only a few other incidents occurred from when the storm started in earnest Friday night through Saturday afternoon when it stopped snowing.

Three plow trucks did catch on fire, but city firefighters made quick work of them, and as for criminal activity, the blizzard -- and a statewide driving ban -- appeared to keep that to a minimum as well.

Find out what's happening in Peabodywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police did respond to complaints of snowmobilers zipping around Swampscott Avenue Friday in the thick of the blizzard and there was one incident Saturday afternoon of a drunken driver crashing into a snowbank.

As for that driving ban, Gov. Deval Patrick called for it on Friday, ordering everyone all the roads until further notice, except emergency workers, police, firefighters, the media and essential personnel for businesses.

Find out what's happening in Peabodywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The ban, which came with some tough penalties, did appear to keep the roadways relatively clear for plow crews to do their work. The ban was lifted as of 4 p.m. Saturday.

Most businesses also closed up shop Friday afternoon to give workers time to get home before the driving ban went into effect at 4 p.m. and then reopened early Saturday evening.

"The Blizzard of 2013 appears to be over and I want to thank Peabody residents for their cooperation during the city’s response efforts," said Mayor Ted Bettencourt via Facebook Saturday evening. "We have a number of incredibly dedicated city workers who worked straight through the night and continue working to clear the roads."

"I went along with some of the plow operators and saw their outstanding work firsthand," he said. "I ask residents to please be patient while we continue to work on the roads. Thank you again for your cooperation."

Peabody also still has its emergency parking ban in effect, prohibiting on-street parking until further notice. The ban began at 8 a.m. on Friday and residents without access to other alternative options were allowed to park at the Higgins, Carroll and Welch schools temporarily -- until Saturday at 8 a.m., that is.

It was still snowing heavily at that time, but city officials said, they wanted plenty of time to clear those lots before school resumed on Monday. All schools in Peabody were closed on Friday.

While plow crews worked straight out since the blizzard started -- all 100 or so private contractors were called in to assist the city's fleet -- their efforts appeared to be consumed with just keeping the major roadways clear. The snow was coming down at 2-3 inches per hour at times.

Several Peabody Patch readers said their neighborhood schools were still buried in snow Saturday afternoon -- some had pictures to prove it -- and wondered if school in fact would be canceled Monday as well.

Public Services Director Robert Langley was not immediately unavailable for comment Saturday to speak to that issue or the overall cleanup.

According to the National Weather Service, the total snowfall in Peabody was 25.5 inches by mid morning Saturday and possibly a few more inches collected during the day.


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