Day 4: Schools closed for fourth straight day
Every public school will be closed Thursday due to continuing icy road conditions.
Day 3: County-wide update
As of 7:45am this morning, Duke Energy reported power had been restored to all Hamilton County homes and businesses. The American Red Cross shelter located at the 4H Fairgrounds will be closing at 10:00am.
Hamilton County government offices, courts, and buildings are open and operating today. Anyone who missed court dates, probation meetings, or other appointments while the offices were closed on Monday and Tuesday should contact the department or division directly for information on rescheduling.
Day 3: Schools closed again
Every public school and University High School will be closed Wednesday due to continuing icy road conditions.
Update from Hamilton County officials
The shelters at Fall Creek Intermediate and Carmel High School have been closed. The only shelter open in Hamilton County is at the 4H Fairgrounds. This shelter will accept pets along with their owners. Pets cannot be dropped off as pet owners must be responsible for their pets. Animal Control officers say that cats should be fine in unheated homes and most large dogs are fine as well. Homeowners without heat are encouraged to seek shelter as hypothermia is a real concern with unheated home temperatures dropping into the 20s. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners announced that county offices and courts will resume normal operation on Wednesday. Employees should plan to report to work. If a court date was missed on Jan. 6 or 7, please contact the specific court for rescheduling of court dates. All buildings, courts, parks, and buildings will be open beginning Wednesday.
City requests people help their elderly neighbors
Carmel senior citizens and those home-bound due to illness are encouraged first to check with friends, family and neighbors for immediate assistance. If all other efforts are exhausted, then they can request help from the Carmel Street Department to open up their driveways. Please call the main line into the Carmel Police Department, 317-571-2500 to make the request that will then be forwarded to the Street Department who will respond as quickly as possible. As always, if this is an emergency or a life-or-death situation, call 911 immediately.
As a reminder, the Carmel Fire Department is still offering safe and free rides for Carmel residents who are kidney patients needing to get to their dialysis treatment centers. If it is a life threatening emergency, call 911. If it is for a regular dialysis appointment that is non-life threatening, you can contact the Hamilton County Communications Center at 317-773-1282 to request a ride.
The city wants to thank everyone for their patience during this extreme weather event. And please continue to check on elderly friends and neighbors and help us help them.
Pet-friendly shelter open at fairgrounds
The Red Cross Shelter at Fall Creek Intermediate School in Fishers is now closed. An additional shelter will open at the Hamilton County 4H Fairgrounds at noon today. This shelter will accept pets as well as people. Owners must remember to stay with pets at all times.
Owners will be required to bring storage capabilities for their pets and all feeding, medication and maintenance requirements. Pet owners are encouraged to use common sense for which pets are to be brought. Interior home temperatures may drop to 20 degrees leaving all feline animals capable of remaining in the home. All dogs with long haired fur will be more than capable of remaining in the home. Small dogs, geriatric dogs and cats, exotic birds, etc, that may have difficulty with cold weather should be brought to the shelter.
Officials are urging all residents without power to seek warm shelter. If assistance is needed with transportation, please contact Hamilton County Communications at 317-773-1282.
Fishers power outage ongoing
Included in those numbers are 5,000-6,000 Fishers customers who lost power Monday evening. Approximately 1,700 remain out of service in the area as of Tuesday morning. Crews will work throughout the day to resolve issues there, including numerous problems with transformers and underground power systems. Estimated time for completing power restoration in that area is approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Day 2: No school make-up day needed
Carmel schools will apply for a waiver from the state for Tuesday so that student don’t need to make-up the day later in the school year. No classes were scheduled for Monday, no no waiver was needed.
Day 2: City declares all streets plowed
After a long night of plowing in bitter cold temperatures, the Carmel Street Department crew finished an all-city plow by 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Carmel uses 65 pieces of snow removal equipment and enlists the help of cross-trained Carmel Utilities employees and their department vehicles to supplement Street Department employees to increase the amount of manpower and equipment on the streets for snow removal. The Street Department crews will continue to monitor the roads throughout the city as needed.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank all the hard-working and dedicated City employees who put forth extra effort during these extreme weather conditions. We also appreciate the patience of the community as we work to clear the streets,” said Mayor Jim Brainard in a statement. Brainard has been out of town in Colorado on vacation according to city officials.
Businesses should remember that it is important to clear their sidewalks of snow and ice in accordance with the city’s ordinance on snow removal. The purpose of this ordinance is for community safety and commerce by keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice so they are available for public use in the winter months. The ordinance states that businesses owning or occupying property in Carmel are responsible for removing snow from all sidewalks adjoining their property. Snow or ice should be removed by noon the day after such snow has stopped. Removal is not required on Sundays and holidays if businesses are closed to the public.
Citations can be issued resulting in fines up to $500 for those who do not obey the ordinance. Complaints can be made to Building Code and Services if snow/ice is not cleared by noon the day after such weather has occurred. Building and Code Services can be reached at 571-2288. You can also use the new mycarmel app to report an issue or complaint regarding snow removal on sidewalks.
Day 2: Power outages
Duke Energy has fixed virtually all of Monday’s reported power outages in Carmel. But during the evening on Monday, abut 6,000 customers in north Fishers lost power. So that Carmel High School wouldn’t be overwhelmed, an additional Red Cross shelter was established at Fall Creek Intermediate School, 12011 Olio Road, in Fishers. The facility is open for any area resident in need of shelter. Enter through Door 2. Temperatures are expected to remain well below zero creating dangerous conditions for those without heat. Residents are encouraged to utilize shelters and to check on those in their neighborhoods who may need assistance.
Pets cannot be accepted at the Red Cross shelter. Animal Control officers recommend pet owners contact family members to look after the pets or leave them within the home and check on them a couple of times a day. If the pet requires assistance they should contact the police to be placed in contact with the local animal control and the Humane Society.
The Red Cross shelter at Carmel High School remains open. We’ll offer an update on that shelter later in the day.
No fatalities
Beginning this morning at 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday, Indiana State Police troopers responded to 1 personal injury and 44 property damage crashes. Troopers assisted with 64 reported slide off’s that did not result in any damage. Trooper’s also responded to 176 calls for service during this time period that was not weather related. None of the personal injury crashes were serious and no life threatening injuries were reported, and police credit the public’s willingness to stay off the roads with the reduced number of serious crashes.
Dressed for the weather
Limited government tomorrow
The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners has decided to close all Hamilton County government offices on Tuesday. This includes county courts, offices, buildings and parks. Essential public safety employees will remain active and on duty.
The City of Carmel will also only staff essential personnel. Normal government functions are expected to resume Wednesday.
Roads will be clear by tomorrow morning
Dave Huffman, Director of the Carmel Street Department, said that secondary roads have been cleared and his crews are working on residential streets at the moment (3 p.m.). He said he is confident his team will have them all plowed by Tuesday morning. He said he expects the brutal winds to die down Tuesday morning.
Police providing transportation
The Carmel Police Department will provide rides to a shelter for anyone who has a need. The police are equipped with four-wheel drive vehicles that can traverse almost any terrain or unplowed driveway. Simply call 773-1282 to request a ride. Police are hoping that a large swath of south Carmel will participate – that’s because 244 IPL and 50 Duke Energy households remain without power in the vicinity of 98th Street and Keystone Parkway.
A photo from former IU player Cody Zeller
This could take more than one day to clean up
The sheriff’s office advises that the county is under a “Blowing Snow Advisory” until midnight on Monday and a “Wind Chill Advisory” until Tuesday. Extremely cold temperatures remain a threat to life so officials urge residents to remain at home or in a safe, warm place. Temperatures are expected to remain subzero with wind chills at -20 to -30. Please check on those in the neighborhood who may need assistance. Also please make sure fire hydrants are cleared of snow in case of an emergency. The weight of the snow and ice is also causing concerns for structures and trees in the county.
The return of power
Duke estimates that power will be restored to almost every home in Carmel by 11:30 p.m. Monday.
Limited need for shelter
As of this morning there were eight people in the emergency shelter located at Carmel High School, said city spokeswoman Nancy Heck in a statement. But city officials confirmed that Heck is out of town on vacation today. Bryant Orem with the Sheriff’s Office reports that 20 people have sought assistance at the shelter. Carmel Police Department has an officer on the scene and says that 14 people have taken shelter at the school.
Schools closed Tuesday
All Carmel Clay schools will be closed Tuesday as well.
Keep us in the loop
Send photos of how you spent the snow day or pretty winter wonderland pictures to [email protected]
Monday’s City Council meeting canceled
“At this point, although the City is operating on a ‘limited operations mode,’ I have decided to cancel this evening’s City Council meeting,” said Carmel City Council President Eric Seidensticker. “With temperatures below -10 and wind chill below -40, holding a public meeting does not seem to be prudent as it would put the health and safety of our citizens, staff, and council members at risk.”
“As I look to the agenda, I see nothing so urgent that it can’t wait until our next regularly scheduled meeting, however, should it be brought to my attention that we should schedule a special meeting before then, I’ll certainly accommodate as needed,” he said.
Power outages
The heavy, wet snow that fell Sunday has caused sporadic power outages in Carmel as tree limbs weighed down by the snow fall onto power lines.
As of 9 a.m. there were about 160 Hamilton County customers without power. Of the residences in Carmel without power, the largest concentration seems to be in Homeplace.
“Most of the problems we are seeing if from heavy, wet snow weighing down branches which fall onto power lines, sometimes bringing down the lines,” said Duke Energy spokeswoman Angeline Protogere. “I expect to get power restoration time estimates this morning. We have brought in additional crews to speed up restoration.”
Customer can check out a map of current outages here: http://www.duke-energy.com/
If you need to seek shelter due to a power outage, head to Carmel High School’s north entrance where the Red Cross has established a temporary shelter. But exercise caution on the roads, which will remain icy all day.
