Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

EDITORIAL: Will you remember the great '06 blizzard?
Staff Editorial
The Maneater (U. Missouri)
12/06/2006

(U-WIRE) COLUMBIA, Mo. — Four days after the biggest snowstorm in more than a decade, MU and the city are still digging out of - and slipping on - the remnants. Mountains of snow and sludge loom over street corners while ice refuses to melt.

For the most part, these lingering effects are to be expected. After all, it was a helluva lot of snow. But campus and local officials are right to take another look at how they prepared for the storm and how they responded once it hit. In a town where severe winter weather isn't an annual threat, we don't expect a massive, reactionary buildup of salt and snowplows. But that's not to say everything went swimmingly this time around.

Campus parking garages and commuter lots are still a mess. Although it makes sense that emergency-room driveways are salted and cleared before parking lots, the problems students and faculty experienced Monday are not insignificant. Many cars were still frozen to parking spots claimed last week, which leaves anyone living off campus in a real bind. (Also, we sincerely hope none of those snowed-in vehicles were parked illegally. Or at least we hope Parking and Transportation's ticket squad can find a soft spot in its dark, unforgiving heart for cars that cannot move.)

When things get to the point where there's little to do but wait for a big thaw, as was the case Monday, some work crews should be kept around to help students, faculty and staff whose cars can be shoveled loose. Like all services, this can only work if publicized.

There's no single task we can tell MU to do differently next time, and response to this storm shouldn't be considered a failure - let's call it a learning experience. In 10-15 years, when this happens again and everyone freaks out about the first snow day since ought-six, we hope MU and Columbia will benefit from having studied this past weekend

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