When Vermont’s snow plows roll before breakfast, it’s usually for a mess on our roads. On Tuesday, it was for Massachusetts.
As Massachusetts and other parts of New England grapple with the aftermath of an intense snowstorm, VTrans stepped in to help. The agency sent over 30 pieces of equipment and 33 employees to its neighbor to the south Tuesday to aid with snow removal, according to Greg Smith, the agency’s district transportation administrator for the capital region.
The fleet included dump trucks, bucket loaders for scooping snow and, of course, plows.
Some places in Massachusetts got over three feet of snow in the storm, according to the National Weather Service, prompting the state to request snow removal assistance from its neighbors.
The Vermont state employees will stay “as long as the state of Massachusetts needs their help,” Smith said. They are currently deployed to Milton, a suburb south of Boston.
Amy Tatko, director of communications and public outreach at VTrans, said that the deployment will be paid for through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement that facilitates states’ sharing of emergency resources.
It was a rapidly executed feat of logistics to get the equipment on the move, Smith said. He learned on Monday around noon that Massachusetts was asking for Vermont’s assistance with the storm’s aftermath. From there, department employees worked fast to find out what equipment they could send, and how to get it all in place.
Early Tuesday — less than 24 hours after Smith found out about the request — the convoy was on its way.
“I’m just glad our folks have plenty of experience dealing with the snow this winter, and they can go down there and be subject matter experts and help out however they can,” Smith said.
