Blizzard cleanup begins after Boston buried in 17 inches of snow

Boston was hammered by a powerful blizzard Monday. Now the hard work begins for those who live in the city and have to clean up the snow.

Several communities in Massachusetts received over three feet of snow, largely in the southeastern part of the state. Boston, meanwhile, ended up with 17.1 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Chloe Adamowicz spent roughly four hours shoveling her car out Monday night in South Boston and another 30 minutes Tuesday morning.

"I'd rather do it in increments than be stuck with a bigger problem," she said.

Boston snow emergency

Boston remains in a snow emergency, which was declared Sunday afternoon ahead of the storm. Mayor Michelle Wu said the parking ban will be in place until at least 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The mayor said the city received feedback after the last major storm that lifting the parking ban too soon hampered snow removal efforts because cars were in the way.

"We're really trying to prioritize not just clearing the snow and pushing it to the side but removing it and taking it away to snow farms to be melted," Wu told WBZ-TV Tuesday morning.

Wu said the approach for removal will be a bit different this time as well. She said residents may see large piles in the middle of blocks. The mayor said the goal is to move snow into piles away from intersections until it can be hauled away to snow farms.

Harrison Mackinlay had already spent 45 minutes clearing out in South Boston and had more work to do in order to get his car out.

"One of the worst storms I've seen at least," Mackinlay said. "The hardest part is just finding where to put the snow. You've got to bring onto the banks here. You can't really throw it in the street, you don't want to throw it on the sidewalks. So that's probably one of the hardest parts."

Boston space saver rules

Like many Southie residents, Mackinlay plans to hold his spot with a space saver. Adamowicz said her space saver is a massive 20-pound shoe rack.

But Mayor Wu reminded everyone that space savers are only allowed for 48 hours after a snow emergency is lifted.

"It's a unique Boston tradition, but one that we have seen actually can lead to quite a bit of conflict in the neighborhoods," Wu said. "Towards the end of this week, we will be enforcing the space saver ban. Usually what happens is the trash trucks pick them up as they go on their normal trash collection runs."

The city says it has towed nearly 1,000 cars as crews continue to focus on clearing main arteries and school access roads. Boston schools were closed Tuesday for a second straight day. Wu said the goal is to get students back to school Wednesday, but it will depend on cleanup efforts.

Residents are and responsible for clearing sidewalks all the way around their property to the curb.

Adamowicz said it's a lot of work after a storm, but worthwhile.

"I think it's worth a couple days of chaos to live in the city," she said.