Sioux Falls residents are battling winds and nearly six inches of snow on top of a thick coating of ice. The brutal round of winter weather in April prompted the mayor of the state's largest city to declare a state of emergency.
City plows focus on emergency snow routes Thursday morning. More than 100 crews worked overnight as a majority of the snow fell to keep the most-traveled streets clear. The Sioux Falls area anticipates another inch or two of snow through Thursday noon.
Crews Wednesday traveled around the city, clearing huge branches and downed trees from main thoroughfares. They couldn't remove all of it, and more debris fell overnight; that makes digging out difficult for city equipment and property owners around the city.
Trees continue to collapse under the winter precipitation's weight. That presents a danger to anything or anyone near the dangling limbs. Mayor Mike Heuther says the city is developing a comprehensive restoration plan, but he says cleaning up is a task for the coming weeks and months.
"We will be there to clean out the debris that is throughout our entire city," Heuther says. "We will go to every street, every block, every home, and we will clean up the debris that’s out there. That’s what good government does."
The State of Emergency declaration allows Sioux Falls to utilize additional public resources and tap into private contractors to help with the fallout from the spring snow and ice storm. Huether says early estimates put the cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At least 20,000 remain without power Thursday morning, as dozens of crews repair downed lines throughout the region. Power lines snapped under the weight of accumulating ice and snow, and other crashed to the ground as chunks of trees fell. Crews restored electricity to 40,000 customers.
Outside Sioux Falls, rural Minnehaha County authorities advise no travel. Plows started pushing inches of snow off the roadways at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, but officials say drifting presents an additional challenge. Highway Superintedent DJ Buthe says crews saw fewer downed power lines than anticipated, but roads are still dangerous.