Chicago resident Tammy Lee says she is never ready for winter. “It's always too cold,” she said.
But as a city of almost 2.7 million people, Chicago itself has to be prepared and announced its plans Thursday for dealing with the inevitable snow and cold.
Keeping the City’s most vulnerable populations safe is a priority according to Rich Guidice, the director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
"It’s not illegal to be homeless; we’ve got to look out for all of our residents and stay connected to all 240 miles of the city of Chicago," Guidice said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Chicago is also gearing up its warming centers and the OEMC's own communications center. It wants all departments and utilities talking to each other in real time, a lesson learned from the blizzard of 2011 that stopped traffic in place on Lake Shore Drive.
But Giudice and his counterparts said everyone needs to play a role: from shoveling sidewalks to keeping an eye on elderly neighbors and even staying away from snow plows.
"When you see the trucks, continue your speed. Don’t speed up," said Cole Stallard, commissioner of the Department of Streets and Sanitation. "Know that we are shooting salt out the back to try to keep these roads safe and passible."
Local
The Chicago Fire Department is urging extra care with space heaters while it says the importance of working smoke and carbon monoxide cannot be overstated.
"I don’t know if space heaters cause all the fires, but I do know that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors give residents the alert and the ability to safely evacuate," said Mary Sheridan, first deputy commissioner.
The city says little things can also make a big difference. City officials encourage residents to make sure their cell phone is charged before going out into winter weather and that their cell phone charger is fully charged as well. They also recommend signing up for free apps like NotifyChicago which sends text message and email alerts about emergency and non-emergency situations going on around the City.
Kelly Barrett came to Chicago from Ireland. She said her friends are already complaining about the cold.
"It’s amateur hour," she said about the temperatures outside so far. "It’s only going to get worse," she said.
