The big snowfall in Madrid this weekend has elicited numerous comments about his management. Could it be done better? Was it prepared? What do they do in the great capitals of the world when faced with a major meteorological phenomenon? The correspondents of The vanguard In New York, Paris, Rome, Berlin and Moscow they explain here how they act and how the last big snowfalls have been experienced in their respective cities.
NY
Not as much snow, or snowed in New York, does it mean that the city is an example in managing these situations. However, people generally assume that you have to be patient.
In recent years the snowfalls have been almost testimonial. Nothing to do with the storms of the beginning of the last decade. What happened, in general, is that all the media were used to clean the roads of the noble areas of the city – much of Manhattan and some of Brooklyn – while the most popular territories (Queens, Bronx) were isolated.
A layer of half a meter of snow covering the streets of New York
Last month a snowfall of another era fell, in circumstances of another era. There was a lot of snow and, in addition, the low temperatures of the following days caused the mountains of ice that had not been seen for a long time to return to the sidewalks. On other occasions, copious snowfalls were followed by days of rain and high temperatures, which facilitated their disappearance on the fast track. Not this time. There were mountains of ice and garbage, because they put a big shovel on the garbage collection trucks and turn them into snow plows. This is New York.
Paris
Although in Paris they are more used to snow than in southern European cities, the last major meteorological phenomenon of this nature, on February 7, 2018, caused great chaos in the French capital and the surrounding metropolitan area, and It attracted much criticism for the lack of foresight and the slow response. 12 centimeters of snow accumulated, nothing extraordinary but enough to alter life and cause many problems.
Some 900 vehicles were trapped overnight on National Highway 118, near Versailles, surrounded by forests. Buses and the suburban railway, the RER, which are used by millions of people every day to travel from the suburbs to Paris, were also severely affected. In large areas, neither press nor mail was distributed. There were many Parisians who opted for teleworking, a formula that was still quite exceptional at the time but which the covid has already made very normal.
Snow stands out in Paris
Roma
In Rome it doesn’t usually snow but when it does the Eternal City comes to a complete standstill. In February 2018 the Italian capital suffered the heaviest snowfall in at least six years. Despite the fact that it stopped snowing at 8 in the morning, enough snow had accumulated overnight to disturb the normality of its nearly three million inhabitants. The snowfall forced the schools to close, the army to remove the snow from the streets and the main means of public transport – which already normally present many deficiencies for users – fell into chaos, with the main bus routes canceled, roads closed and train stations collapsed.
This year the mayor, Virginia Raggi, has signed a plan for Rome to face this strong cold wave that is sweeping Europe. The ordinance, among other things, recommends that property owners and building managers keep sidewalks clear of snow between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. It also says that in case of snow, only cars fitted with winter tires or chains can circulate. It is requested that if the temperature drops to negative figures, the taps closest to the meter or to the water inlet pipes in the buildings be opened to prevent them from freezing or breaking. Measures that in all probability would not prevent Rome from re-blocking when the first flakes fell.
The Colosseum in Rome, under the snow
Berlin
In Berlin, the residents of each street are required by law to remove or spread snow from their sidewalks and pedestrian areas, and also to remove any ice that may have formed, to prevent people from slipping. For the purposes of this public cleaning task, both owners and tenants are considered residents, who can also entrust the task to third parties. The concrete instruction is that snow and ice should be piled up on the edge of the sidewalk that faces the road. It is strictly forbidden to use any type of de-icing agent, such as salt, urea or industrial products. The usual thing is to sow the sidewalk with pebbles to avoid slips and falls.
In the capital of Germany, if the snowfall ends after 8:00 p.m., or if it occurs during the night, residents must perform the task – called Winterdienst (winter service) – around 7:00 a.m. the next day, or if it is Sunday or holidays, around 9:00 am. There are exemptions provided for people with physical or financial difficulties, or if the magnitude of the snowfall makes cleaning up a disproportionate effort; then a municipal brigade intervenes. Berlin law provides fines of up to 10,000 euros for those who, intentionally or negligently, do not perform their Winterdienst and / or throw salt or de-icer on the pavement.
A visitor walks through the snow covered Holocaust memorial complex in Berlin
Moscow
Snow conditions life in Russia
Snow is so common in Russia that it conditions the life of its cities. Among other things, it is mandatory for all vehicles to carry winter tires in December, January and February. In addition, they are prepared to maintain their rhythm of life despite the low temperatures and snowfalls, which usually start in November and last until March.
Moscow, with 12.5 million inhabitants, has more than 10,000 snow plows and machines. In addition, each neighborhood has brigades of municipal workers, commonly called courts (of the word dvórnik, patio), which are in charge of maintaining the streets closest to the citizen. In winter, this means clearing the sidewalks and driveways of snow, spreading salt so that ice does not form, and, as a last resort, crushing the ice to remove it from public roads.
Snowy Red Square.
To optimize their resources, Russian cities usually use only part of their snow blowers when snowfall is light. But they keep a good reserve for when it is needed. This is what is happening in Kazan (Volga; 1.2 million inhabitants), which this January is also experiencing a storm. Normally, 250 vehicles work on its streets, both machines to remove snow and trucks to take it away. But last weekend he took out another 500 to deal with an exceptional situation.
But being prepared does not mean that there are no problems, especially when the snowfall intensifies and lasts over time. In the Krasnodar krai (southern Russia), a region somewhat smaller in size than Castilla-La Mancha and with 5.6 million inhabitants, the storm has left around 12,500 people without hot water and heating this week.
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