PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Niwar Nasim said his crews from Nasim and Sons Landscaping have been working around the clock since the snow first started last week.
His works crews have been serving a client list that includes homeowners associations, businesses, and even public entities like schools.
Nasim said his company fills a vital need at a time like this, clearing roads that aren’t deemed an immediate priority at the county level, to make sure residents have a way out.
“A lot of them get stuck in, and when you have so much accumulation on the ground, there’s really nothing you can do,” Nasim said. “You can go out and shovel on your driveway, but you gotta have equipment to move snow.”
But keeping up with the weather has been a challenge.
Pierce County says it received up to an inch and a half of snow Thursday morning, and is anticipating up to two more inches of snow by the end of the day.
Pierce County notified residents that crews would be out mainly on the primary roads, but warned that commutes could be more challenging given the weather conditions.
But Nasim isn’t just keeping an eye on the snowfall, he’s also looking at what the snow could turn into.
“Today, you have this snow that’s starting to melt, but we have overnight freezing temps that will start as early as this afternoon,” Nasim warned. “While the melting is good, because of the overnight freezing temps, you’re gonna have, especially tomorrow morning, you’re gonna have a lot of black ice, a lot of sheets of ice everywhere, so you gotta be really careful.”
This is why he said it’s critical that a plan is put in place to deal with snow so Pierce County isn’t left out in the cold.
“Snow over here is just not handled correctly. It’s a liability and you gotta make sure that you have the right plans in place to mitigate and lower risk of accidents and things of that nature,” Nasim said.