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Four snowstorms dumped 76 inches of snow -- nearly six and a half feet -- on Eastport in just over a week. That amount of snow -- a record for documented snowfall in a 10-day period in Maine -- has challenged everybody in the communities of Downeast Maine and the Fundy Isles, but particularly the snowplow drivers. They, along with many others, have been helping out their neighbors in digging out of the depths of winter.
In Eastport, Public Works Director Howie Johnson leads a crew of plow drivers that may begin their day at 3 or 4 a.m., depending on when a storm starts. The crew then is "on call 24/7 till when it's over," he notes.
Driving at night in white-out conditions when no one is around, the drivers can feel alone in the dark. When the wind is blowing Johnson sometimes can't even see the front of the truck. "You've got a radio -- that's about it."
During the first snowstorm of the season he has to keep checking to see where the wing is on the side of the road, noting, "The plow bounces if you're on the grass too far." By the third storm he can sense the location of the wing, and also the snowbanks tell the drivers where the road is. When they can't see very far, his advice is to "keep it in the middle and don't second guess," as "sometimes it all looks the same."
Plowing at the start of the third major storm on February 2, he says the highest snowbanks he's seen so far are 15-foot drifts on the Deep Cove Road. The crew had to use the payloader to get through them. He says a plow driver has to judge whether he can make it through a large drift and notes that he's gotten stuck a few times in the plow truck. "You call the payloader and they bring a chain and tow you out."
"Mostly the wind is what really screws with us," he says, adding, "And then if something breaks down."
The city crew has been using four plows during these past storms. They include two dump trucks -- 2000 and 2003 Internationals -- and two Caterpillar payloaders, while a 2008 Sterling truck was being repaired in Bangor. Johnson says that usually during every storm a piece of equipment will break, with the sander on one of the trucks being the latest casualty.
Driving the 2000 International, affectionately called "Old Shaky," Johnson is continuing a family tradition. He has been plowing for seven years, and both his father, Howard Johnson Sr., and grandfather, Howard V. Johnson, plowed for a long time. He says he hears jokes all the time about the motel chain and the local succession of Howard Johnsons.
Of the work digging out this winter, Johnson notes, "Everybody's been helping out." Along with public works crew members Brian Baron and Cody Preston, Jeff Sullivan of the wastewater treatment plant, Richard Clark of the port authority, crews from Federal Marine Terminals and the Passamaquoddy Water District, the police and local residents with plow trucks all have been busy plowing. "They're keeping their heads down and picking away at it."
City Manager Elaine Abbott praises the dedication of those who plow snow, whether it's on the city's streets or private driveways. "They're unsung heroes to us," she says, noting that they give up time with their families to help out others. "It's amazing how this entire community pulls together and attacks a problem with this record-setting snow and in the most extreme conditions that nobody wants to be out in." Abbott accompanied Johnson while he was plowing in everything from an ice storm to a blizzard and says, "It's been an eye-opener to better understand what they do. I give them a lot of credit."
Eastport has 33.7 miles of streets, but the drivers need to go back around on each street a few times to get both lanes plowed. They also plow out the two schools, the two firehouses, four parking lots and city hall. After a storm, they usually remove the snow from the sidewalks downtown, too, but Johnson notes, "With a three-person crew it's hard to do everything in a week." He says if one notices a big difference in the amount of snow on the two sides of the street downtown, then "Mother Nature put it there."
Although the temperature may be below zero outside and the wind may be howling, Johnson and the other drivers plow in their T-shirts, since they have to keep the cabs hot in order to keep the windows clear. "You fight icing on the windshield all night," Johnson points out, noting that the trucks keep a spare wiper just in case.
Snowplow drivers need a good view as they concentrate, constantly looking back and forth in both mirrors as they plow. Johnson says they watch out for fire hydrants -- "I don't want to piss off the old man [who works for the water company] when I break them off"; utility poles -- "I've not hit any yet, knock on wood"; and mailboxes -- "I try to watch out for them, but the force of the snow will knock them over." Occasionally they have problems with vehicles in the streets, but Johnson says, "Most people are good when the cops stop and ask them to move them." Cars driving around during a storm also create a problem, as the plow driver has to lift up the wing to let them get by. In addition, they have to look for deer, particularly on Staniels Road, as sometimes the deer won't move to let a plow truck by.
The public works director also has advice for shovellers who sometimes see all of their hard work come to naught as their driveway gets plowed in again. "When they see the sand coming onto the road, that means we're all done plowing."
Concerning the three big storms at the end of January and the beginning of February, he observes, "This week has not been normal." Johnson says he doesn't know how much snow has fallen during the past three storms, noting "I haven't had time to watch the news."
As for the rest of the winter, he comments wryly, "It's got to get better." |
