January 22, 2010
Dear Flagstaff Community,
Good evening, Flagstaff.
We just completed the Emergency Operations Center Briefing and Policy Briefing at 911 Sawmill with our community partners. Here is the most up to date information I can provide to you.
In our Briefing, we first received a weather update. We learned that the front moved through faster than we expected and the rainfall was not as great as anticipated. This is good news as far as flooding in the City. However, over the next day, we are expecting another 5-10 inches of accumulation. There may be another storm next week, but nothing of this magnitude is expected.
STATE ROADS: Both directions of I-40 and southbound I-17 will open at 7:00pm tonight. Northbound I-17 is expected to open by 7am tomorrow morning.
In the City, we are having some issues with traffic signals. If you can’t see or understand the signal, treat it as a 4-way stop. The Pulliam Airport is open but no flights have arrived or departed today.
The Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce and many local business organizations are helping us distribute information. Our Call Center is working beautifully. We had 120 calls between 8am and 1pm.
If you are a City resident that uses the NAIPTA Mountain Lion Bus system, please note that NAIPTA has inadequate equipment to haul the snow away on their own. Therefore, NAIPTA has decided to not operate today or tomorrow.
Flagstaff Shelter Services is moving to Federated Church until dinner time due to snow load on the roof. Salvation Army and other service folks are assisting. Please direct any of our City homeless community members to the Mission or Flag Shelter Services on the Southside. If another location is necessary,
In our Policy meeting, we discussed the following issues: Snow removal and hauling over the next weeks, community structural damage, communication systems, and public safety concerns in the backcountry.
We are currently establishing a community plan for snow removal and hauling as the amount of snow is unprecedented for Flagstaff. Regarding community structural damage, please remember to take photographs, document what you are doing and any other details. For communication systems, the link up at Elden is non-operational. Many radio stations are having either power or signal issues. For now, many are streaming online and you can listen to them on the web or follow them on social media outlets. We also talked about public safety concerns in the backcountry and understand the Forest Service is managing those issues. The City strongly recommends that City residents do not recreate in the backcountry at this time. Due to severe avalanche conditions in northern Arizona, back country travel in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness District is prohibited by the United States Forest Service until further notice.
I am sending this letter from the Emergency Operations Center and we will have our next Briefing at 6:00pm. I anticipate I will conclude open letters to the community following the next Briefing. Thank you for following these letters and for sharing them with your family, neighbors and friends.
Please continue to visit the City website at www.flagstaffaz.gov, email us at Council@flagstaffaz.gov, or call:
City Public Works, call 928.779.7660.
Emergency City Streets Department, call 928.774.1605.
APS Residential Power, call 1.800.253.9405
APS Business Power, call 1.800.253.9407
Emergency Operations Call Center, call 888.679.8393
Emergency, call 911
Non-Emergency, call 928.774.1414
Mayor and City Council Office, call 928.779.7600
Our City hasn’t experienced a storm of this magnitude in decades. Repairs, snow removal, snow hauling, and other needs may take some time to resolve. We will be establishing resolution plans in the next day or so and implement them according to jurisdiction.
The City of Flagstaff reminds you to please:
1. Remove on-street parked cars in residential neighborhoods to allow for plowing.
2. Help your neighbors with shoveling and snow removal.
3. Check in on seniors, families with extra needs, or those with special needs in our community.
The City of Flagstaff municipal operations for non-essential services are closed today but will re-open on Monday.
This weekend should be a good opportunity to get out of the house and shop at our local businesses or experience community events. Please remember to use caution as you begin to drive through the City.
Thank you to the Arizona Daily Sun and many local radio stations, including public radio, for keeping us informed.
Continue to take good care of each other and our Flagstaff community.
Mayor Sara Presler
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