As torrential rain moves in, Lawrence races to clear snow, prevent flooding
LAWRENCE - From preparing hot meals to cleaning storm drains, the city of Lawrence is bracing for whatever Mother Nature brings.
On Tuesday, crews raced to clear catch basins to prepare for heavy rains that threaten significant flooding of low-lying areas of the city.
"We've been out since 7 this morning. We're cleaning up all the catch basins and the low spots because we got 15 inches of snow, and we're just looking to clear out some catch basins so the water has a place to go," Lawrence Water & Sewer Department Supervisor Matt Halloran said.
Crews shoveled sidewalks, removed snow banks and cleared away as much of the heavy. wet snow as possible.
"We are trying to get it done before people's houses get flooded or just intersections and cars hydroplaning," Halloran said.
Father Paul O'Brien is the pastor of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and also oversees Lawrence's Cor Unum Meal Center, which offers restaurant-style breakfast and dinner 365 days a year to anyone who is hungry in Lawrence.
"Lawrence is the economically poorest community in the state," O'Brien said. He said if there are any power outages or floods, his team still is equipped and ready to serve the community's most vulnerable members. "We are expert at serving under all conditions. We've had the Lawrence gas disaster, we've had COVID, we've had power outages, we've had tropical storms, we've had blizzards. We can shift immediately to to-go meals."
His work crew was also busy clearing the parking lot, which also floods during heavy rains. "People don't stop being hungry because it snows, or it floods, or it rains, so we always achieve the mission of offering nutritious food whatever the circumstances are," he said.
