Low marks for city's plan to clear streets

No city crisis meeting has been held for a week despite widespread weather disruption to the capital that resulted in deaths, public transport chaos, injuries and even prisoners being used to help the clean-up effort, as an opinion poll reflected massive public dissatisfaction with the state of the streets.

A 1-year-old baby boy was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a fall icicle in Prague 4-Nusle Jan. 19. The infant was being treated for severe head injuries at the Thomayer Hospital in Krč.

Neither City Hall nor police have figures for the number of deaths or injuries caused by falling ice, the sound of which is reverberating around the city like thunder.

As the city grappled with the dangerous conditions, Prague Mayor Pavel Bém and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) leader Mirek Topolánek held an impromptu press conference Jan. 18 but did not address the weather situation.

Instead Bém, who has still not confirmed whether he went to the South Pole on his December vacation, blamed the media for highlighting tension between the two politicians.

Prague police have issued a warning to the public about the dangers of falling ice and have urged pedestrians to stay clear of cordoned-off areas. Officers are on the street guiding pedestrians from some of the danger spots.

However, Prague's Technical Road Administration maintained the situation is under control as forecasters predict the capital could be in for further cold spells over the next week, turning slush into ice, causing more treacherous conditions.

"Since Jan. 11, there has been no meeting of the Prague Crisis Staff, simply because it was no longer necessary," said Technical Road Administration spokesman Tomáš Mrázek.

"The situation is getting smoother; most of the main roads have been cleared, and side streets are currently being cleared. There are about 1,000 cleaners working daily on the streets."

A majority of Prague residents were dissatisfied with the city's efforts, according to an opinion poll, with 68 percent saying pavement conditions were dangerous and life-threatening.

The poll also found a similar number, 70 percent, were dissatisfied with the cleanup, and just over 70 percent said City Hall was not meeting their responsibilities.

The Prague Public Transit Company said tram, bus and train services were badly disrupted.

"We can expect problems especially at intersections where cars go across the tram lines and clog them with snow. We expect even more delays in tram services and, in exceptional cases, trams may be canceled," a spokesperson said.

Trains and buses were also facing problems, with the main S train line service to the suburbs reduced. Bus services have also faced widespread disruption, the spokesperson said.

As street cleaners battled a fresh snowfall of up to 15 centimeters Jan. 17, the winter death toll rose to 10. Most were alcohol-related, though one man fell to his death in Prague as he tried to clear snow from a roof. Villages in rural areas were feeling the brunt of the cold weather, with one of the worst-affected regions being Vysočina, east Bohemia, where many minor roads were impassable. The state forestry company also banned visitors to forests in some localities because of the danger of falling trees.

Prague rescue services were called out on 30 occasions over the weekend and earlier this week, and are struggling to maintain a nine-minute response time.

"Our maximum time limit is 15 minutes, and, in emergency cases, we usually maintain a seven- to eight-minute time limit. However, these days, it is up to nine minutes," said spokeswoman Jiřina Ernestová.

"The Prague fatality occurred in Vinohrady, Prague 2, when a 35-year-old man fell while trying to clear the roof of his house."

Pedestrians in the capital have had to tackle the menace of falling ice and snow from roofs. Attempts to clear overhanging ice have been hampered by lack of access to some buildings.

Meanwhile, a boat moored on the Vltava River is providing much-needed shelter for the city's homeless.

"The boat, the Hermes, is fully occupied, which means we are accommodating about 254 people. We are also using space in the dining rooms if necessary," said Eva Holubová, spokeswoman for the Center of Social Services.

The massive cleanup effort has seen 13 prisoners being released from jail to help.

"The project is called Prague Prisoners Help, and they offered to donate their services," said Markéta Prunéřová, spokeswoman for the General Directorate of Czech Prison Service.

 "These prisoners committed only minor misdemeanors and are not in any way a danger."

"Selected prisoners from Prague-Ruzyně Prison worked on Jindřišská and Vodičkova streets, while a second group, from Pankrác Prison, helped with the removal of snow from selected schools and health facilities in Prague 3-Žižkov."

Both groups worked Jan. 15-17 and may be used again if the weather takes a bad turn.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com