Lansing Mayor Andy Schor declared a snow emergency Monday morning bracing for hours of snow and single-digit temperatures later in the week. Shortly thereafter, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, ordered that the all state government offices performing non-essential functions would close at 10 a.m. and all state employees would go home. The State Capitol building was also closed.
#LansingAlert: Mayor @andyschor amends Snow Emergency to lift travel restrictions beginning on Tuesday, January 29, at 6:00 a.m. On-street parking on unplowed streets remains prohibited. City Hall, 54-A District Court & city facilities to open Tuesday. https://t.co/3f4i3wWlqy pic.twitter.com/0efAdhqmmn
— City of Lansing, MI (@lansingmichigan) January 29, 2019
Schor said he decided to call an emergency after receiving weather reports that snow would fall within a shorter time window than than originally forecasted. He warned that Lansing residents should take the order seriously for their own safety, and to ease the operations for crews plowing and salting the streets.
“You can’t park on city streets. You shouldn’t be traveling unless it’s essential. Stay in you homes. You know, seek shelter as snow continues to come down today and we’ll evaluate that for tomorrow and for Wednesday.”
The snow emergency order prohibited all private, public and non-essential commercial vehicles from driving and parking on city streets. All city events and meetings were also canceled for the day including the Lansing City Council meeting.
Mayor Schor emphasized the city was adequately prepared to handle the severe winter weather. “Our crews are working sixteen hour days now, so we are everyone on board. We started yesterday sending teams out to engage with those who are homeless in our city to try and bring them into shelters,” he said.
Schor also said the city has asked area homeless shelters to operate above capacity during the cold snap. In addition to services provided by shelters warming shelters are also available at several locations including the Allen Neighborhood Center, Cristo Rey Community Center and Lansing Mall. Some warming centers allow pets. The full list of locations can be found here.
Travel restrictions for Lansing will be lifted Tuesday at 6 a.m.
The City of Jackson has also declared a snow emergency. The release issued on the city website advised residents to remove vehicles from streets, avoid driving, and clear sidewalks of snow and ice. The emergency order is set to be lifted Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Follow Abigail Censky on Twitter: @AbigailCensky
