10 years since army helped T.O. dig out of snow

It was 10 years ago today that Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman called in the army to help the city dig out of a major snowstorm.

The next day, 400 soldiers from CFB Petawawa arrived in armoured vehicles to shovel snow and help the sick and needy get around.

The soldiers and equipment left CFB Petawawa at 5 a.m. on Jan. 14, 1999 and arrived in Toronto to undertake Operation Preamble. Another 300 reservists in Toronto were also called into action.

• View a photo gallery of the army stepping in

However, news reports at the time indicate there wasn't much for the soldiers to do initially because no emergency declaration was in place.

By Jan. 15, a snow emergency was declared -- the same day the snow started to taper off. The emergency order would stand for three days.

Most of the troops broke camp on Jan. 17 and returned to Petawawa. About 120 remained behind to help with snow removal.

Read more of the story: Mayor Mel has no regrets about army SOS

With files from ctvtoronto.ca

Do you have advice on how Toronto residents can deal with the snow? Post a comment below.

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  Pedestrians struggle through the snow in downtown Toronto Thursday, Jan. 14, 1999. The city had been crippled by storms and was still bracing for more. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Kevin Frayer)