'Help is on the way!' Edmonton sending snow plows to Calgary
30 plows on their way to Calgary, Mayor Don Iveson says in a tweet
Who says you can't count on your neighbours?
Edmonton is sending help to Calgary as the southern Alberta city works to clear a record snowfall from its streets.
"Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for Calgary and the City of Edmonton has been called upon for help," the city said in a media advisory Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Don Iveson tweeted that 30 City of Edmonton plows are "rolling out" Tuesday to help Calgary.
"Help is on the way!" Iveson said in the tweet.
Janet Tecklenborg, the city's director of infrastructure operations for parks and road services, said she believes the offer to help Calgary clear its streets of snow is a first.
"I am not aware of any time in the recent past that we've gone down to help with snow removal," she said.
Calgary's emergency response co-ordinator made the request to Edmonton's emergency response co-ordinator early Tuesday, she said.
'We're a winter city'
'We're a winter city and we understand the challenges that Calgary is going through, so when Calgary called today and asked for support we were happy to help out as best we can."
Sixty operators and some supervisors will depart Edmonton later Tuesday for Calgary.
They will help out in Calgary for 24 to 36 hours, "to help get in front of the storm," Tecklenborg said.
"I just wanted to thank our crews," she added. "They are doing this on short notice and leaving their families to go and help out with Calgary."
Crews had about four hours' notice, she said.
Thirty pieces of equipment are headed to Calgary, including five front-mount plows and 15 underbelly plows, Tecklenborg said.
The plows won't likely travel in a convoy because they will be leaving from different roadway maintenance yards, she said.
Details of how Edmonton's costs will be covered have not yet been worked out, she added.
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/nenshi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nenshi</a>, help is on the way! 30 <a href="https://twitter.com/CityofEdmonton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityofEdmonton</a> ❄️ plows rolling out today to help with that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yycsnow?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yycsnow</a> <a href="https://t.co/HCN0jC1itl">pic.twitter.com/HCN0jC1itl</a>
—@donivesonIn Calgary, city crews worked all night and into Tuesday morning to clear roads after a record-breaking 15 to 25 centimetres of snow fell overnight.
The previous record for Oct. 2 was set in 1954 with only about five centimetres.
Other help is headed to Calgary from Red Deer, Okotoks and Medicine Hat.
The City of Red Deer is sending two plows and two graders, along with eight operators.