THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, FEbRuARy 27, 2026 Page 9 STORM | FROM PAGE 1 on Sunday and Monday, January 25 and 26. Mayor Robert Van Campen called it a “really terrible storm. Wind was the X factor,” referring not only to the amount of snow, but high winds, white-out conditions and cold temperatures. At least there were very few power failures, and modern technology predicting storms eliminated everyone being taken by surprise, as in 1978. Providence, Rhode Island, was a bullseye area with 37.9 inches. Southeastern Massachusetts also got hit hard. Less snow fell north of Boston and Route 90, but it was still bad enough. Van Campen spent part of February 23 riding around with DPW crews, but not as much as he had in January, before going home to hunker down like everyone else. “I was abiding by the rules and didn’t want to be in the way,” he said. The next morning, however, Tuesday, February 24, he was back on the roads with DPW Director Bob Knox. “I’m very proud of the guys in the DPW,” Van Campen said. “I hope people understand they’re in the trucks for over 24 hours in some cases. It’s not easy work.” “We had a great effort from all the departments to do the best we could,” Knox added. “It’s been challenging and tougher than the last storm.” He lives in Malden very close to the Everett line. After working from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday, he couldn’t find a place to park on his own street and had to use a nearby school lot. He was back up before 6 Tuesday morning. As a candidate Van Campen didn’t anticipate having to deal with two major storms and their aftermaths in his first two months in office. “We’ve been treated right out of the gate,” he said. For everyone, but especially city employees, the storm itself is only part of the story. “It starts before the snowflakes fall and doesn’t end when it stops,” Knox said. “The snow totals are something to talk about, but how we prepare and handle things afterwards is as much a part of the story.” Maybe the kids were happy. Their February vacation was extended, but undoubtedly, Nichols Street’s sidewalks were down to the pavement as the cleanup continued citywide on Tuesday. (Courtesy photos) some were put to work by their parents to shovel snow or help neighbors. Enterprising students may have hired themselves out to others to work. “Under the direction of Superintendent William Hart, the Everett Public Schools facilities team and contractors worked in close concert with the city to plow and remove snow from Sunday afternoon through late Tuesday night at and around our school buildings,” reads a statement from the School Department. “Throughout the process, we identified and responded to specific areas of concern, all in an attempt to ensure our students and staff could safely access our buildings on Wednesday morning. This storm delivered a proverbial punch, and the EPS used every available minute and resource to withstand, but no damage has been reported to any of our buildings, as of Tuesday.” As bad as the storm itself was, snow was still on the streets from the January storm. A lot had melted, but a lot remained. “We have a lot to clean up and are using as many resources as we can, to get businesses and the schools open,” Van Campen said. “I’m asking residents to be patient and good neighbors by digging out hydrants and over crosswalks.” He’s also asking people not to shovel snow from their driveways and yards back onto the street. It doubles the work the DPW has to do. Again, officials are asking people to shovel out hydrants from the street side so firefighters can access them. Much of the snow will be dumped at Rivergreen Park/ Playground because it’s illegal to dump snow in waterways or the ocean because rock salt and oil and gas on the streets are pollutants. Given the remnants of snow from the January storm, Knox admitted, “We can run out of space, but we know people are in need of help on the side streets.” As it was January 25, the City Council cancelled its scheduled meeting, which was rescheduled to Thursday, February 26. Major agenda items included various proposals to borrow funds for renovation of the Fuller Street and Chelsea Street Parks, accept a grant for preliminary design work for the Connolly Center Reconstruction project and confirmations of Van Campen’s appointments to positions in his administration. City Hall was also closed that day.
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