RICHMOND, Va. — Two Richmond neighbors say they've been trapped in their community for nearly a week, waiting for the city to treat dangerous icy roads that have turned their street into what they describe as "a skating rink."
Sarah Spencer and Emily Kane, who live on Ridgeway Road near the University of Richmond, say they haven't been able to safely drive since Tuesday due to treacherous ice conditions on their steep hill.
"It's been terrible here. We've been locked in for what, five, six days now," Spencer said.
Kane described losing control of her truck Tuesday night while trying to navigate the icy hill.
"I haven't driven since Tuesday night when I lost control of my truck going down the street. The hill was so icy, I couldn't get traction. I was gaining speed as I was heading down the hill, and it was really scary. So I haven't driven since then," Kane said.
Their situation reflects the broader challenges Richmond officials say they're facing across the city's 2,500 miles of roads.
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," Donald said. "That's like driving from here to Los Angeles, California, that we're working on trying to get these roads back together."
WATCH: Richmond updates battle against ice: What you need to know about roads, shelters
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula explained the unique challenge 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," Avula 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."
For Spencer and Kane, however, help hasn't arrived yet. Spencer attempted to leave with her son but had a frightening experience.
"We went up the hill, and we got almost to the crest of the hill, and we couldn't go any further. And then the car started going down backwards, just sliding. And then miraculously, we did a 180 and we ramped into a bank, which helped us turn," Spencer said.
WATCH: Video shows truck sliding down icy road in neighborhood: 'He's out of control'
The dangerous conditions have created a cascade of problems beyond just trapping residents. Kane says she's witnessed seven different trucks or SUVs losing control on the hill this week.
Multiple delivery trucks have become stuck at the bottom of the hill, leading to a series of failed rescue attempts. Tow trucks sent to help have also gotten stuck, and attempts to winch vehicles up the hill have resulted in broken equipment and trucks sliding backwards.
"Yesterday, there was a tow truck trying to tow a tow truck that was there, trying to tow out a third truck at the bottom of the hill," Kane said.
The situation has prevented Spencer from caring for her 91-year-old mother, whom she normally visits daily.
"I can't take care of my 91-year-old mother, who I normally go to see almost every day, and she, just as the crow flies lives, I can't even walk there because it's so icy," Spencer said.
Kane's children have had to hike uphill on the ice to reach their cars parked further away when school is in session.
"My daughter had school yesterday, and so we've been hiking up the hill. I didn't even send my son because it was 12-degree temperatures, and hiking a quarter mile, a half mile uphill on ice, and then returning downhill is just more than I wanted to invest," Kane said.
The neighbors say they've contacted the city daily but haven't seen any action.
"I think our roads should be closed until the ice melts a little more, but the city told us that they ran out of closed road signs," Kane said.
Vincent said the department's website shows which neighborhoods have received treatment and crews are prioritizing "moving back into our neighborhoods and taking care of those neighborhoods that have not been treated yet."
Both women are asking the city to bring sand or salt to treat their roads .
"I know that now it's icy, and I'm not sure how it works, what you can do on top of ice, but I know that the trucks that have been stuck have gotten out because of sand," Spencer said.
The residents say they've never experienced ice conditions this severe.
"We have never had ice like this that lasts and lingers as long as the sheer rock-solid ice has been on the street," Kane said.
While officials expect improvement as temperatures rise early next week, they caution several days of dangerous cold remain ahead. Avula asked residents to remain patient as crews continue working around the clock.
"Nobody's taking any breaks here. We are absolutely doing everything we can to clear up the streets," Avula said.
The neighborhood has also gone without mail service and trash pickup all week, though a newspaper delivery person has continued service on foot.
What are conditions like in your neighborhood? Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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