PAINESVILLE – Biting, unrelenting cold driving snow made for a pretty scene in Lake County this week, but taxed resources as crews scrambled to keep streets clear of snow, government buildings were damaged and unsheltered people flocked to warming stations.
Saturday evening into Sunday morning, temperatures dropped to an ambient -7 degrees, with a wind chill factor dropping as low as -30 degrees, prompting local authorities to call Code Blue alerts Saturday, Jan. 24, through Tuesday, Jan. 27, as of this publication’s print deadline.
A Code Blue activates local warming centers for unsheltered people during periods of dangerously cold weather.
On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Salvation Army Painesville Corps at 69 Pearl St. was open from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. as a warming center.
The Sub Zero Mission, in addition to opening its offices as a warming shelter during the Code Blue emergencies, issued advisories for unsheltered people sleeping in tent encampments or in vehicles as temperatures dropped below zero at night over the weekend.
The nonprofit’s primary mission is to locate unsheltered people, especially veterans, and distribute warm clothing, blankets and other items to help keep them alive unhurt during the winter.
In a social media post, The Sub Zero Mission stated, “To date (Saturday, Jan. 24) this season, we have served nearly 1,300 people experiencing homelessness. We have delivered roughly 11,200 items. Our inventory remains strong with 26,000 items remaining on our shelves.”
Schools were closed Monday-Wednesday, Jan. 26-28, as of this publication’s print deadline in Madison, Perry, Riverside, Painesville and Fairport, as well as St. Gabriel School and Lake Catholic High School.
Snowstorms have affected the region over the weekend and into this week, bringing heavy snow. Temperatures plunged well below freezing and stayed there for days, while several northeast Ohio communities are contending with a road salt shortage, complicating their snow and ice removal plans, according to reporting from WVIZ.
Several Lake County communities have scaled back road salting to main streets, or just intersections and steep slopes, while Cargill, which supplies nearly all of the road salt in the region, has started implementing overtime shifts at its Whiskey Island salt mine in Cleveland to make up the shortfall, according to a company press release.
One of the more high-profile casualties of the cold was the Lake County Administration Building in Painesville, which suffered a water line break Sunday morning, Jan. 25.
The water line break, which happened in Building C, began in the Veterans Service office on the second floor, according to County Treasurer Michael Zuren.
Water traveled through utility conduits and partially flooded the offices of the Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, and the Veterans Service Commission, all except the Recorder’s Office were closed through Wednesday, this publication’s print deadline.
Computer terminals, ceiling tiles, drywall and carpeting had been badly damaged by the flooding, according to Zuren.
“Each office will monitor cleanup operations daily and keep the public updated as to when each office will be open to the public,” a county press release stated.
The Treasurer’s Office remained open at its drive-through location for tax collection, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday. Additionally, taxpayers are reminded they can remit property tax payments online and via the secure drop box in the Building C parking lot, according to Zuren.
The tax deadline has also been moved to Saturday, Feb. 28, according to Zuren.
“We pushed it back as far as we could,” he said.
“We ask the public to keep in mind we will have limited, skeleton staff available while cleanup operations are underway and this may affect our ability to answer calls, return calls, etc.,” County Auditor Christopher Galloway said. “We appreciate the public’s understanding as we work to get operations back to normal.”
“Rather than calls, we encourage emailing each office at this time for inquiries and we will do our best to respond in a timely fashion,” County Treasurer Michael Zuren said.
Becky Lynch, county recorder, said her office – located in the basement – had sustained the least damage in her opinion.
“We were OK,” she wrote in a Tuesday email. “Our workstations were, thankfully, dry. The front counter got drenched. Our Veteran ID CPU got burned out because it got some water when the ceiling tile fell, but we can get that replaced very soon. Of course, the dryer machines are humming and the ceiling tiles need replaced, but in my view, I thought we got the least of it, actually. We are open tomorrow. None of our historical records were damaged either.”
Zuren said in a telephone interview that cleanup crews were called in Sunday, the water was shut off, standing water was cleaned up and industrial fans were drying out the rest, with a lingering musty smell being the biggest issue aside from damaged equipment.
The Veterans Service Center remained closed to the public through Wednesday, Jan. 28, as of this publication’s print deadline. While cleanup continues, residents are encouraged to call 1-440-350-2904 or email veterans@lakecountyohio.gov if they have questions, according to a county press release.
