City Workers, Residents Prep For Next Freeze

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Warm temperatures are welcome this time of year.

What isn't?

The overnight freeze that leads to a morning of people slipping, sliding, and in some cases, ending up in the hospital.

"I must have hit a patch of ice with my foot and went down face first," said Brenda Lecy.

She ended up with a broken hand Tuesday while trying to brace for her fall.

But she was far from alone. Dozens of people ended up in emergency rooms across the Twin Cities.

Now the city of Minneapolis is trying to stay ahead of the next freeze.

"It's been kind of a crazy few weeks here going from one extreme to the other," said Mike Kennedy, the city's director of public works.

On Tuesday morning, Kennedy brought in 10 extra snow plow operators to help salt and sand the streets.

"The snow you can just plow away, but the freezing rain and the ice events…it can be even more difficult to deal with," he said.

And not only do the streets need protection, the sidewalks do, too. On that front, the city says it needs residents' help.

From property line to property line, homeowners are responsible for clearing the sidewalks of snow and ice. If they don't do it, the city will -- and then send them the bill.

But the city won't have to worry about Bob Holden and his wife. On Tuesday, they were both cleaning up and preparing for whatever is next.

"I'm trying to get all the slush off the sidewalks. I know it's going to freeze," Holden said.

Crews will be applying more sand and salt to city streets Wednesday morning.

Kennedy says he expects potholes to start showing up after the next freeze is over.