Anuel Rodriguez, Public Services Bureau Chief for the City of Evanston, urged residents to follow five winter-safety practices intended to keep streets clear and emergency routes accessible.

"Snow and cold can make the winter season challenging for all of us," Rodriguez said, asking neighbors to cooperate. He summarized five guidelines intended to help Public Works crews and residents alike.

City staff asked residents to "Please clear your sidewalk within 24 hours after any accumulation of snow or ice," and to keep walkways wide enough for safe travel. The announcement specified sidewalks should be 48 inches wide where feasible, or at least 36 inches wide, "so that everyone can travel safely, including children, seniors, and those with disabilities," a staff speaker said.

Officials also asked residents to help crews by shoveling snow onto lawns or parkways rather than into the street and to clear snow from around trash and recycling containers so crews can access and empty them. "Clear snow from around your trash and recycling containers so that we can access them, empty them, and stay on schedule," Rodriguez said.

The city encouraged residents to "Adopt a fire hydrant and keep it clear of snow so that we can find it and access it in case of an emergency," a staff speaker added; the announcement did not provide enrollment details for an adopt-a-hydrant program.

Residents were directed to sign up for email or text parking notifications at cityofevanston.org/newsletters. A staff speaker said, "Snow parking restrictions go into effect after 2 and 4 inches of snowfall to allow plows to clear our streets," though the announcement did not specify which streets correspond to each threshold.

Public Works staff described operational steps: crews apply anti-ice treatments before storms, push snow during storms and complete post-storm cleanup. "Drive carefully, give our plows plenty of space to do their jobs, and never pass a plow on the right," a staff speaker said.

The message closed with a call for community cooperation. "When Public Works and the community work together, we can keep our streets safe and our community connected," Rodriguez said.

For details and to sign up for alerts, the announcement directed residents to cityofevanston.org/newsletters.