National Guard called in to assist with ‘unprecedented’ snow removal in Brockton

BROCKTON, Mass. — The National Guard has been called into Brockton to assist with snow removal following the blizzard.

“This was unprecedented, and it continues to be a major issue,” said Mayor Moises Rodrigues.

The blizzard dumped 34 inches of snow in Brockton Monday.

Mayor Rodrigues says it’s the most snow the city has ever seen, so clearing it all has been a challenge.

Inside the emergency command center, the mayor shows a map of Brockton, where the green shows about 70% of the roads have been cleared of snow.

Another concern is digging out the more than 3,000 fire hydrants across the city.

That’s why the National Guard has been called in.

So far, they were able to help dig out more than 113 hydrants Thursday afternoon.

“We can’t basically clear every single pile of snow that we have because it requires equipment, it requires resources to do it,” said Mayor Rodrigues.

The mayor says the city used to have about 160 pieces of equipment for snow removal, but this year they only have access to 80.

“Contractors are dropping off because it’s become very expensive to maintain an insurance,” said Mayor Rodrigues.

So city leaders here are thankful for the support from MEMA, MassDOT, and the National Guard to try to get the city moving again.

But in the meantime, the mayor says be cautious both when driving and walking around the city.

“We do the sidewalks on both sides of the streets where we have schools, and where we don’t have schools we tend to just do one side – just to be able to provide a place for people to walk,” said Mayor Rodrigues. “But it’s pretty much impossible when you have 365 miles of roads in the city to be able to clear the roads plus the sidewalks.”

The National Guard will be back in Brockton Friday to continue digging out fire hydrants, but the mayor says it would be helpful if residents could do some too.

Mayor Rodrigues also says that after school was canceled for a full week, the goal is to get students back to school on Monday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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