The main arteries may be OK, but two days after the storm many side streets are still not passable.
Chicago crews continue to clear side streets of packed snow, utilizing 274 trucks with plows and backhoes to free cars snowed in since Wednesday morning. The city reports that most streets have been cleared and plows are working fast to get everywhere.
Still, some residents say their street hasn't been touched and lament high drifts in alleys. Others got sick of waiting and joined with neighbors to shovel and snow-blow their block so people could get to work. In the suburbs, cold temperatures have frozen out attempts to plow some side streets.
Mounds of snow aren't stopping Chicago Public Schools from reopening today, albeit without buses. Suburban schools remain closed until further notice.
Officials report that the blizzard resulted in deaths of 11 people in the area, most from shoveling. Four men in their 60s died of heart attacks from shoveling snow. City officials reminded residents in a press conference yesterday to remember to take breaks while shoveling.
Just because the snow's done doesn't mean we're done with cold temperatures. Wind chill levels could dip as low as 11 below zero today amid sunny skies. Cold air returns Tuesday and won't receed again until the end of the week.
| Full Coverage: Blizzard 2011 |
