By Abbey Niezgoda
A huge turnout in North Providence as people pile in to town hall and sound off on the slow storm response after the Blizzard of 2013.
The blizzard is long gone, but the town is still reeling from the aftermath. They showed up to a special meeting, so frustrated by how long it took for the roads to be cleared, they started screaming.
It was standing room only as they rattled off different streets with the same story. Plows showed up late or not at all. People without power could not even get out of their homes.
The town council admits there was a breakdown in communication during the height of the blizzard.
The plows were pulled off, and by the time they came back, the storm was already ahead of them.
Council members also say the town was not prepared for this storm at all - from the slow snow removal to the website breaking down. They say it was a complete system failure.
However, Mayor Charles Lombardi says the residents do not deserve an apology because his administration did the best they could with what they had.
Town officials are promising an overhaul of the Department of Public Works and a strategic plan for storms in the future.
In the meantime, a lot of people are upset that North Providence had a budget surplus last year, and yet none of the money went toward improving snow removal. There will be another council meeting in two weeks, where the issue will be discussed again.
