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Road, power crews face challenging conditions
We Energies officials say power should be back on for everyone impacted by last Friday's snowstorm. FOX6 News learned why the aftermath lingered in homes and on the road.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - We Energies officials say power should be back on for everyone impacted by last Friday's snowstorm. FOX6 News learned why the aftermath lingered in homes and on the road.
Brookfield homeowner Tom Showers spent all weekend trying to stay warm.
"It got down to 34°F in our house," Showers said.
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Showers is one of 260,000 We Energies customers knocked off the grid during Friday's snowstorm. Showers got power back Monday afternoon – after a pipe burst in his home and spending two nights in a hotel.
"I’ve probably spent close to $2,000 – just between the generator and space heaters," Showers said.
Crews were still trying to help Showers' neighbors Tuesday morning.
We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway said this was one of the largest restoration efforts in the utility's history.
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"Eight, 10, 12 inches of heavy wet, thick snow that coated our power lines, equipment, trees and branches – add that with the gusty winds the last few days and that’s what’s been causing all these outages," Conway said.
Conway said crews came from other parts of the state and as far away as Indiana and Ohio to help.
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Waukesha County DPW; road conditions update
WATCH: The Waukesha County Department of Public Works provided an update on road conditions on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 16. Extremely cold temperatures are making it difficult to remove and treat hard-packed snow, officials said.
Hard pack ice on the roads
While the lights are coming back on, the ice is not leaving. Waukesha County DPW officials said that has been the biggest challenge in keeping roads clear. Their crews have been working 16-hour shifts for the last week.
"Once that wet snow adheres to the road and we can’t get it off with our plows, it just continues to build up," said Hans Guderyon, Waukesha County Highway Operations Manager.
Waukesha County DPW
Snowplow operators are mixing sand with salt to try and keep cars from sliding. There is also hope temperatures rising to the teens later this week will provide some relief.
"It’s been a bit of a nightmare the last few days," Showers said.
We Energies officials say crews restored power to 98% of its customers within the first 72 hours of the storm.