City of Salisbury State of Emergency, 6:45 pm Update

The City of Salisbury Emergency Operations Center has made contact with the Wicomico County Department of Emergency Management and requested assistance from the Maryland National Guard. The City has requested four (4) dump trucks, two (2) front end loaders, two (2) humvees and one (1) backhoe.

The City of Salisbury wants to reiterate that on this date at 2:00 pm, pursuant to Section 2.08 of the Salisbury City Code, Mayor James Ireton declared a state of emergency in the City. The provision of this section of the code states that the mayor “in the interest to public safety and welfare” can restrict vehicular traffic on city streets to vehicles that are under operation by essential personnel. Essential personnel shall include authorized personnel responding to the declared state of emergency, peace officers, emergency management or rescue personnel,
medical personnel, utility personnel, snow clearance and building and systems maintenance personnel, members of the media, carriers and drivers of commercial motor vehicles transporting commodities such as heating oil, propane, gasoline and salt, or staple grocery items to food stores, or deliveries of agricultural products necessary to maintain the life of livestock, and employees of critical 24/7 facilities such as health care facilities, commercial facilities and correctional institutions. Private sector businesses are strongly urged to consider the safety of their employees and the restriction of travel during this storm when deciding whether to remain in operation. Violations of this directive may result in the issuance of a civil citation with a fine penalty of up to $ 500.00.

The state of emergency remains in effect and due to the “white out” blizzard conditions, all snow removal vehicles have been pulled from city streets. Once the situation has become safe for operators of the vehicles, the City of Salisbury Public Works Division will resume snow removal beginning with the seven (7) designated primary snow removal routes. As these routes are cleaned, the snow removal will continue with residential areas.

During this snow event, the composition and weight of the snow has caused unsafe loading conditions on many business and residential roofs, primarily those that are flat. There are several methods utilized by Salisbury building inspectors to gauge the safety of a roof in these conditions. The building inspectors are warning residents to be aware of:
Windows and doors that are binding (do not operate properly)
Homeowners hear unusual noises, such as creaking or cracking
Homeowners observe leaks from ceiling areas
Homeowners see or observe new cracks in the ceiling
Ceiling tiles begin falling

What the homeowner can do to minimize further damage:

Remove snow from elevated decks
Minimize Ice build-up on HVAC system if located under rain gutters.

As this event develops, additional press releases will be made as needed.