Greenwich Fares Well During Its Largest Winter Storm In Years

GREENWICH, CT — A town official said Greenwich fared well during this week's snowstorm even though the town "hasn't seen snow like this in years."

Emergency Management Director Dan Warzoha said Tuesday afternoon the town's response to the heavy snowfall that began Sunday evening and lasted until Tuesday was "very successful" overall. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"Our public works folks started out at 10 p.m. Sunday evening," Warzoha said, "and they didn't finish up big-scale operations until 10 a.m. [Tuesday] morning, so that's a pretty long haul."

He also noted this week's storm was the biggest to pass through Greenwich in some time.

"We haven't seen snow like this in years," Warzoha said. "I would say it's been at least five or six years since we've had a storm like this, with heavy drifting and blowing...fortunately the coastal flooding was minimal and our power outages were almost non-existent, which we were hoping for."

In regards to emergency services, Warzoha said the town had a number of calls one would normally expect during heavy winter conditions, including a few accidents and stuck vehicles. The town also received a number of medical and fire calls, however they were not for anything significant, Warzoha said.

"We had numerous briefs and communications during the [storm]," Warzoha said, "and it just worked the way it was supposed to work."

Police Capt. Mark Zuccerella said the police department did not encounter any major issues this week as a result of the weather.

"It was like most storms we've had," Zuccerella said. "Many people stayed home, which helped."

While Warzoha noted this week's storm was "big," it was not the first to hit the area this winter; that crown went to a "no joke" storm that passed through Greenwich in December.

"We already had a lot of the kinks that you get on a first big storm worked out already," Warzoha said, "but there's still a lot of work left to do."

Warzoha said snow still needed to be picked up in some of the town's business areas, particularly the Greenwich Avenue area, Cos Cob and Old Greenwich, as of Tuesday afternoon.

"The parking lots are going to have to get touched up," Warzoha said, "so there's still enough work to keep everybody busy for a few days."

Selectwoman Jill Oberlander expressed gratitude toward town employees, as well as residents who were able to stay home and off the roads during the storm.

"I commend and thank Greenwich's dedicated employees and emergency first responders who worked throughout the day and night clearing roads, monitoring conditions, and responding to calls for assistance," Oberlander said. "In addition, town residents who needed to go out were so appreciative of their ability to travel safely. I also thank residents for staying home during this snowstorm, allowing our clean-up crews better and safer access."

Warzoha also noted residents could help the town, particularly the Greenwich Fire Department, by removing snow from fire hydrants and making sure they are accessible.

"If your fire hydrant is plowed in, please give the fire department a hand and clear off your local fire hydrant," Warzoha said. "Save them time, in case they have to hook up to it for an emergency."