SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — People in Scranton are still dealing with the aftermath of this weekend’s historic winter storm.
Over the weekend, Lackawanna County declared a state of emergency as the storm blanketed the region with snow.
During Scranton City Council’s weekly meeting, several residents spoke out, offering both praise and criticism of the Department of Public Works.
Several residents praised the Department of Public Works for working long hours in dangerous conditions with limited resources, emphasizing its essential role in keeping roads open during the snowstorm.
Others voiced frustration over uneven or insufficient plowing on neighborhood streets, citing hazardous conditions for residents and first responders, repeated snow being pushed onto private sidewalks and driveways, and concerns about a lack of direction, emergency coverage and proper salting.
FOX56 spoke with Council President Thomas Schuster, who said that while most main roads have been cleared, many residential side streets remain covered in snow.
He added that the city runs a fleet of fifteen plow trucks, though DPW staffing shortages kept some of the vehicles out of service during Sunday’s storm and workers who were available operated around the clock.
“Currently, the city is going to be working until Thursday on snow removal to clear those roads for Thursday, so we are going to be working a couple more days. My hope is that if we are to get a possible storm coming up this weekend, we are prepared, we have sufficient staffing, sufficient plows on the roads and enough salt to put down to make sure our roads are passable and safe,” said Schuster.
Trash pickup is delayed by one day, and the Scranton School District canceled classes for Wednesday because of transportation issues.
Schuster said officials are reviewing DPW staffing, equipment needs and salt capacity, along with public feedback, to ensure the city is ready for the next snowstorm.
Scranton is expected to see another heavy snowfall this upcoming weekend.