"Could have been worse:" Downtown Milwaukee digs out from first round of snowfall



MILWAUKEE -- Little by little or in one fell swoop, many residents tackled snow cleanup in different ways Saturday, December 17th. While some areas prepared to see nearly a foot of snow, tackling it is a must.



The sounds of slushy streets and scrapers echoed along Milwaukee's east side.

"Just try to keep the car out of the snowbank," said Julia Robson, digging car out.

Whether it was a brush or a broom, when it comes to clearing snow you 'do what you gotta do.'

"A lot of snow, not too bad," said Daniel Steater, Milwaukee resident.



"It could have been worse," said Robson.



It seems the City of Milwaukee's Department of Public Works stayed on top of the storm.

"The roads look like the plows have been on it for the most part so that's nice. I think it hit us pretty hard last night so the highways are covered," said Robson.

During the snow removal operation, more than 260 pieces of equipment were deployed to battle the blustery weather.

Many of the streets seem to be clear but the same thing can't be said for the sidewalks. Drivers are cruising by, but pedestrians are having a hard time.

"It's good to shovel your sidewalks if you can," said Steater.



Between the waves of falling flakes, folks grabbed their shovels and other equipment.

"This is called the 'Steiner,' a tractor with a blade on top," said Jose Galvez, Milwaukee resident.

Making passes to stay ahead of this weekend's storm.

Jose Galvez



"I've been out here for 16 hours," said Galvez.

Jose Galvez will continue circling the area.

"Got to keep cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. It looked like it stopped but it might snow again so I'm out here for the next 10-15 hours," said Galvez.

Galvez takes the labor in stride so others can safely stroll along.