The snow has started falling here in Western Massachusetts and across New England and the National Weather Service is anticipating more than a foot of snow by Sunday night.
Residents in Springfield spent Friday and Saturday gathering the tools and supplies they'll need to contend with the snow.
Cars packed the parking lot in front of the Rocky's ACE Hardware at the Springfield Plaza — clearing shelves of things like snow shovels and rock salt.
Daniel Pagan is the general manger there. He said on top of snow removal, people should also prepare in case they lose power.
"Obviously you gotta worry about power outages sometimes, when its big weather like this. So you wanna make sure you have your flashlights, things like that," he said. "Even a cooler, generator. Anything like that to store food if you need to."
Pagan recommended for those looking to clear the snow out most efficiently, to try and lay down rock salt and ice melt as the snow is falling. He said that that will stunt some of the accumulation, making it easier to shovel yourself out later.
Many communities have set parking bans for today and Monday, officials recommend checking the town and city websites to see what the parking regulations are.
Springfield
In Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Department of Public Works Director Christopher Cignoli held a press conference Friday, declaring a citywide "State of Emergency."
“My administration and our dedicated city team are tested and true in dealing with any weather Mother Nature sends our way. As we have done during previous significant natural or manmade disasters and winter events, I have alerted my department heads to have ‘all-hands-on-deck’ for this significant and long deration snow event we are anticipated to get hit with on Sunday and into Monday," he said in a prepared statement. "I also cannot stress this enough, please help our dedicated plow trucks out and obey the parking ban.”
He stressed the police officers will ticket and two cars not following the ban. All Springfield Parking Authority owned lots will be free and open to park in during the storm for downtown residents.
Springfield Public Schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday, and.
Sarno said it's not just the snow that can be dangerous but the low temperatures as well. The National Weather Service is anticipating temperatures in the teens today with wind chills below zero.
“... Check in on their neighbors, especially our elderly, to make sure they are ok and safe. Also, this weather is cold for our beloved pets, so make sure they are brought inside and kept warm too. We are urging residents and businesses to be prepared ahead of time to ride out this extreme weather," he said.
The DPW has about 100 plows under contract. With over 800 streets and over 1,100 lane miles of roadway, and due to the volume of the anticipated snow from this nor’easter, it will take approximately over 24 hours to complete plowing operations throughout the city. It is anticipated that plowing operations will continue over the multiple days, with clean-up operations ongoing where snow will be hauled away, if necessary, according to a city press release.
The City’s Cold Weather Task Force will be actively seeking out homeless individuals to make sure they are brought to homeless shelter and overflow shelters as well.
Heating assistance
During these extreme cold temperatures many families struggle to pay their heating bills while also paying for food, gas, snow melt and more.
State officials are reminding residents of the Massachusetts Home Energy Assistance Program, that typically helps more than 150,000 Massachusetts households, representing over 300,000 people, afford to heat their homes during the winter each year. Residents can apply online anytime at mass.gov/heat.
The program may be able to help eligible households with winter heating costs, no matter what type of fuel a household uses.
It does take time to process the applications, so residents are encouraged to fill out the paperwork before a major weather crisis. For this weekend's storm residents should contact their local cities and towns and heating companies for immediate support.
However, residents are still encouraged to apply this year since there will be more cold days in the coming weeks and months.
“As Massachusetts prepares for severe winter weather, it’s important for residents to know about the resources available to help manage high heating costs this season,” said Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus in a prepared statement. “The Home Energy Assistance Program is a critical safety net for seniors, families with young children, people with disabilities, and households facing heating challenges. We encourage eligible residents to apply early and connect with their local HEAP agency so they are aware of support options as the winter continues.”
Northampton
In Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has also declared a "State of Emergency and Snow Emergency."
Starting at 1 p.m. today an on-street parking ban is in effect citywide until further notice. The Parking Garage, Amory Street Parking Lot and the Hampton Avenue Parking Lot are open and free for parking until further notice. Residents are reminded that vehicles will be towed to enable plowing operations.
“We’ve got a significant winter storm on the way, and it looks like it’s going to be a bad one. The city is prepared to respond and to aid that effort I have taken the unusual step of declaring an emergency in advance of the storm to help the DPW’s efforts to plow the roads," Sciarra said in a prepared statement. "To help keep everyone safe and allow plows and emergency vehicles to do their jobs, I’m asking residents to stay off the roads, follow snow emergency parking rules, and give our crews the time and space they need to clear streets safely."
Northampton Public Schools and Northampton Non-Public Safety Municipal Offices will be closed on Monday.
Snow emergencies and alerts are always posted at northamptonma.gov and on the city’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Many other communities have cancelled school Monday and some on Tuesday, residents are encouraged to check their city and school district websites for updated information.