‘It just keeps coming down!’: Rochester struggles to stay dug out during Thursday storm

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Rochester’s Thursday snowstorm turned into a never-ending chore for motorists, homeowners and business owners as they struggled to get ahead of the falling flakes, only to have their work quickly undone.

“It just keeps coming down,” exclaimed Marina of Rochester. “I went out earlier in the day and I’ve had to do a substantial shoveling of my car, twice.”

She took on some extra work being a nice friend and also dug out and brushed off her sick roommate’s SUV, only to discover, “It’s a bigger car,” she laughed. “I’m used to a sedan and I noticed the more car you have, the more I had to wipe off. And get shoveled!”

The Sisyphean labors were all the more constant for businesses. The chore of clearing sidewalks that may have started early, in daylight, and gone on literally all day, continued into the evening.

“I think I’ve shoveled five times a today already,” sighed Ally Schuber at Schuber’s Liquor on Park Avenue. “And we have to continue shoveling every hour.“

The cleaning imperative became all the more important for establishments that stayed open through the snowfall, like Schuber’s and its neighbor Iron Tug brewery.

There the chores turned into a chance for bonding over inch after inch of fresh flakes.

“As you get older, you can only do a couple of inches at a time,” said Chad LaRose at Iron Tug. “So, you get out here, you try to get a few inches done. Next hour, a couple more inches down the row”

City requirements provide extra motivation.

Marina Cull hustled to move her car because of alternate side of the street parking regulations.

And shops must keep their sidewalks clear.

“We like to keep it clear, as clear as possible, keep putting salt down. Keep it light so people can come on through,” Schuber said. “We get a lot of compliments on our sidewalks for sure. We really do!”