I read that Moscow is experiencing the snowfall “Vanya”, and all kinds of experts with handbooks are proving on every channel that snow in mid-December has fallen very unexpectedly, asking for understanding regarding its untimely removal. It should be noted that having reserves for such an occasion is actually the city’s responsibility, just like it is the responsibility of healthcare workers to have reserves in case of an outbreak of infectious diseases. But I’m talking about something else – how snow removal is organized in our areas.
I live in Virginia and the snow here is odd. Right now, it’s mid-December, and just a couple of days ago it was 15 degrees Celsius. It’s a bit colder now, but I remember once cycling in shorts in mid-January. Then, all the TVs were bursting with snow warnings for a whole week (it was warm, dry, and sunny outside). People were actively stocking up in stores for a week ahead. And then everything stopped for a couple of days because they were clearing the roads—it was completely snowed in. Of course, there was not enough equipment—it would never be enough, no matter how much there was.
But here’s how it works here. Keeping snowplows in southern states is odd. They are usually not needed. Therefore, in storage, they have snowplows (I don’t know the Russian word, they are called snowplows in English) that attach to powerful SUVs, of which, of course, there are plenty. In the event of snow, all the agency-owned SUVs are gathered, plus a call is put out to anyone who wants to make extra money using their own vehicles. And the snowplows themselves don’t take up much space, don’t require maintenance, they just wait for a snowfall.
Therefore, main roads are cleared quickly. Well, quickly—in the sense that one day was spent on all the major roads, especially if it continues to snow. The second day—they handle the smaller roads. But there weren’t any major snowfalls after that. And clearing paths to individual houses is the responsibility of the homeowners. Many people have these snowplows sitting idle in their garage. Of course, you can always call a number, and they will come to clear the snow. If you live in a village, that’s the headache of the village administration.
It’s worth mentioning that heavy rains have never been a problem here. Rains here simply never form seas or even puddles. Unlike snow, dealing with rain is simply a matter of properly building roads and drainage systems. There are never any puddles at all. If it rains, it means the asphalt will be wet. If it rains heavily and for a long time, it also means that the asphalt will be wet. Once the rain stops—the asphalt dries up quickly. In specialized ditches, water may gurgle for another couple of days, and that’s it.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 