ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Sewer Maintenance Division received about 20 calls for clogged drains Monday morning, blockages that led to flooding on roadways. Lisa Hiebert works for St. Paul Public Works and encouraged people to call 651-266-9850 to report a pothole. She also asked people to try to clear drains ahead of calling.
"The first thing we really want people to do is to try to go to their storm drains and try to open it up just a little bit. As you can see in this one right here, there's just that little hole right there and the water is kind of flowing freely down into the storm drain that's what we like to see happen so it's not pooling on the street,” Hiebert said.
People in St. Paul can also email potholes@stpaul.gov to report issues in their neighborhoods.
Minneapolis residents can fill out a form online to report potholes.
Safety on ice is also a top concern for health providers this time of year. This year alone, Allina Health has had close to 50 people come in for a slip or fall on the ice. Last week, 18 people came to Mercy's emergency department from a slip or fall on the ice during the last winter storm.
Erin Vesey, a physical therapist with Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, said people should walk like a penguin when walking on ice.
"The more that you can shuffle your feet the better you are so you don't slip and fall on the ice. We also ask that wear gloves so your hands are out of your pockets, make sure you're not holding something, holding your phone if you do lose your balance you can put your hands out to stabilize yourself. The other thing is to slow down, we're always in a hurry. Slow down so you can get that penguin walk down,” Vesey said.
A few other suggestions from Vesey include having your phone in your pocket so you can call for help if you fall and making sure your shoes have good grip for traction on the ice.