Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Feb 3, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The citizens of Chicago witnessed one of the biggest blizzards of the decade in last two days. The National Weather Service announced that there would be gusty winds in parts of Southland on Wednesday night and it would continue until Thursday afternoon. Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive remained open on Tuesday, the wind and heavy snow blocked the roads, and the vehicles remained stranded. However, the road was closed on Tuesday evening after there were three accidents. The authorities reported that the Lake Shore Drive remained closed on Wednesday as well.

Raymond Orozco, chief of staff to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley told a reputed media source that he has never experienced anything like the incident of the Lake Shore Drive in last 31 years. He also apologized for the inconvenience caused to the hundreds of people who were stranded on the road. On Tuesday afternoon, whiteout conditions created heavy traffic on the road and hence the vehicles had no place to move owing to lack of visibility. One of the passengers of the car, Jenny Theroux told a reputed media outlet that it was a stressful experience for them as nobody knew what to do and where to go.

The city officials estimated that near about 700 to 900 vehicles were affected by the worse condition of Lake Shore Drive. However, Raymond Orozco said that 13 ambulances, 30 law enforcement officials, 130 firefighters and 26 fire companies were sent to the location to ensure the safety of the travelers. Thomas Byrne, the Streets and Sanitation Commissioner of Chicago said that by Wednesday afternoon many vehicles were removed from Lake Shore Drive but near about 300 vehicles were still stuck on the road. Raymond Orozco said that he believes that the rescue officers obtained the “best possible outcome”.