Chapel Hill received its first taste of winter last week when Winter Storm Diego rolled through and dropped eight to 12 inches of snow on the local area. Schools and businesses were closed while crews worked to make the roads safe for residents.

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger joined The Aaron Keck Show last week to discuss the snowfall, as well as the town’s response to the weather.

“We know citizens were frustrated,” Hemminger said. “The secondary roads didn’t get done as quickly as we would have liked if it had been one snow storm, but we got the second dumping.”

The snow arrived in Orange County in two waves, with the first coming early Sunday morning and the second arriving Monday.

Hemminger praised the work of the town crews, mentioning that many of them worked long hours in freezing conditions to get conditions safe for residents.

“We’re so grateful for our crews. A lot of them don’t live here,” Hemminger said. “They came in, they work 12 hour shifts, they try to work up and Duke Energy’s out here too in the freezing conditions. They have to stop at some point, but they’re back out there as bright and early as they can possibly be.”

Hemminger said that citizens listened to town authorities and stayed inside during the storm. Road conditions made it unsafe to travel and she said that there were fewer wrecks because people stayed home.


Listen to the complete interview with Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger on The Aaron Keck Show: