RICHMOND, Va. — As bitterly cold weather continues to batter Central Virginia, Richmond officials want neighbors to remain patient as city crews battle icy road conditions and work to help city’s most vulnerable populations.
City Administrator Odie Donald said more than 4,000 calls for emergency service have come since storms began last week, including 224 crashes and more than 660 ambulance transports.
"It’s important to know that we have 2,500 miles of road in Richmond, Virginia," he said. "That’s like driving from here to Los Angeles, California, that we’re working on trying to get these roads back together."
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula explained the challenge city crews face during a Saturday afternoon press conference.
"We get snow on the regular… but what we had on top of that was an inch of ice that has been really challenging. It's difficult to plow ice and with sustained cold temperatures… salt doesn’t get activated. So we've really struggled, particularly in those neighborhoods, to get those streets cleared," he said.
Bobby Vincent, Richmond's Director of Public Works, said his teams are working 12-hour shifts to pretreat and treat primary and secondary streets before moving crews into neighborhoods.
"We’ve impacted well over 60% of those neighborhoods now,” Vincent said. “You’re beginning to see asphalt, that’s where the chemicals kick in."
WATCH: 'Be patient,' Richmond mayor begs as some neighborhoods remain 'locked in' from ice
For people still facing hazardous streets, Vincent said the department’s website shows which neighborhoods have received treatment and prioritized “moving back into our neighborhoods and taking care of those neighborhoods that have not been treated yet.”
Drivers are urged to exercise caution and use best judgment, especially where only partial asphalt is visible.
The cold has hit Richmond’s homeless and others lacking reliable heat especially hard.
Avula mentioned the loss of one resident in the cold weather earlier in the week.
"We really want to avoid that from happening, which is why we've continued to… open up warming centers during the day and reactivated our emergency shelter," he said.
Emergency shelter at the Southside Community Center (6255 Old Warwick Road) opened Friday at 5 p.m. and will remain available at least through Sunday, according to Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services Amy Popovich.
“We have space for anyone who needs a warm place to be,” Popovich said. “Our main goal here in human services is to make sure that there is plenty of space for anyone who needs a warm and safe place to stay.”
The city’s shelter network, with support from partners like Salvation Army and Caritas, has expanded beyond contracted capacity, providing surge beds if regular shelters fill. Warming centers operate day and night when needed.
"If you see someone who’s out in the cold, please encourage them to call 311 or go directly to our South Side Community Center on Warwick,” Popovich said.
Officials say transportation between shelters and warming centers is available for those with disabilities or mobility issues.
"We've made sure that transportation is directly available, especially because those sidewalks are so icy," Popovich said.
Dominion Energy, the city’s power provider, restored electricity after a six-hour outage impacted 167 homes, crediting fast work with city fire and police departments.
While officials expect improvement as temperatures rise early next week, they caution several days of dangerous cold remain ahead.
Avula summed up Richmond’s coordinated response, saying, “Nobody’s taking any breaks here. We are absolutely doing everything we can to clear up the streets.”
While asking the city to remain patient, he evoked the message of the Buddhist monks whose Walk For Peace will bring them through Richmond next week.
"The timing could not be better to have this incredible movement and symbol of joy and patience and love coming into a time where we really need that," he said. "Channel joy and peace and love in a time where it's really needed."
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