Big Snow Didn't Cause Big Public Safety Problems

Fridley's public-safety departments didn't encounter serious problems related to the big snowstorm over the weekend. And the city may have residents' caution to thank for that.

"The police department did not have any snow-related problems during this recent storm," said Lt. Mike Monsrud by email. "Not a large number of accidents were reported. I think people obeyed the warnings to stay at home if possible."

The story was similar at the city's fire department. "Fridley had a relatively uneventful night," said Fire Chief John Berg via email. "We staffed all three of our fire stations from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. (Sunday–Monday), anticipating slower response times. There were four calls during that period of time."

The only weather-related event, Berg said, came shortly before midnight on Sunday when a skid-loader hit two gas meters at 5201 E. River Road, causing a natural gas leak. Firefighters shut off the gas supply and called for CenterPoint Energy, according to Berg.

The weekend's snowfall left the snow depth in Andover near the two-foot level, according to National Weather Service modeled data.