SAINT JOHN – Kevin Clifford, the head of Saint John’s Emergency Measures Organization and the fire chief, says the local state of emergency will remain in effect until further notice.
Clifford said at a news conference Tuesday morning the measure is necessary after the city was hit with another 29 centimetres of snow, the third storm in less than a week.
Before the storm began Monday, the city already had almost 100 centimetres of snow on the ground.
With more snow in the forecast, city officials said emergency vehicles were having a tough time getting around in the narrow streets in the city’s southern peninsula. The city said that created a risk to public safety.
Clifford said the state of emergency will last until streets have been cleared to an acceptable level. He mentioned a fire truck became stuck along Wentworth Street while trying to get to an emergency call.
Road conditions remain snow-packed, slippery
Many of the streets in Saint John were impassable early Tuesday. Others were reduced to one, slippery lane. People were walking on the street because sidewalks were not plowed.
RCMP are asking people to take it slow as highways remain covered with icy patches and drifting snow.
The Gagetown, Belleisle, Evandale and Deer Island ferries were all out of service because of the weather as of noontime Tuesday.
NB Power was reported 103 outages, most in the Moncton, Shediac and Sussex areas.
With files from the Canadian Press and Global’s Andrew Cromwell
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