Weathering the storm

No major incidents reported; trash pickup delayed

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Winter Storm Juno buried the town in snow this week, and while the blizzard forced public safety and public works personnel into action and led to closures and cancellations, there were no major incidents.

“It was an expensive storm, but there weren’t any issues,” Mayor Joseph Polisena said Wednesday morning. “The most important thing is that no one got hurt … The Department of Public Works crew did just an incredible job.”

Polisena, dressed in the insulated jumpsuit he wore while accompanying crews around town, said additional police, fire, rescue and public works personnel had been working around the clock since Monday night. They were due to be relived on Wednesday afternoon, the mayor said, and would report back to work on Thursday. More snowfall was in the forecast for the coming days.

The town had 15 town trucks out during the storm, he said, with 18 private vendors brought in during the height of the blizzard. A Hummer was utilized as an emergency command vehicle during the storm, and the Johnston Senior Center served as a warming center for residents and the town’s workers.

Officials said the DPW’s use of a “brine” mixture – heavily salted water – on roadways ahead of the snow was part of the reason roads were quickly returning to normal on Wednesday. The town keeps 4,000 gallons of the mixture on hand at the DPW headquarters.

“It really helps prepare the roads prior to a storm,” DPW Director Arnold Vecchione said.

Many local businesses remained closed Wednesday and were still digging out from the storm, which left as much as two to three feet of snow due to drifts created by strong wind gusts. Polisena said the storm’s full cost was still being tallied.

Johnston Public Schools were closed Tuesday and Wednesday, but were set to reopen Thursday. Polisena said the town and district were coordinating to clear walkways and parking lots at the schools.

Trash service was canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, and collections were to be done for those routes on Thursday. Regular Thursday pickup was pushed back to Friday, and regular Friday pickup was pushed back to Saturday. The mayor said the delayed pick up schedule provided “some breathing room to widen up the roads.”

Polisena said he and the town’s department heads were in constant contact through the storm, meeting twice daily. He also praised Gov. Gina Raimondo, who he said called and texted him several times and also kept in contact with other municipal leaders across the state.

“Gina Raimondo did an incredible job,” he said. “I think she was baptized by fire, and came through with flying colors.”

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