Oak Harbor is the little city that could.

Despite the December 2008 record-setting storm, city staff worked overtime to make certain the city’s wheels kept on turning.

“I’m very, very proud of the job that they did,” Mayor Jim Slowik said of the long hours city employees worked during the storm, which bashed the island over the height of the Christmas holiday season.

The mayor read from a list of city storm stats involving the police, fire and public works departments.

Police investigated 73 snow or ice-related traffic accidents, responded to 38 weather-related assistance requests, contacted six homeless individuals for shelter assistance and responded to each and every call for service during the island’s week-long stormy interlude.

The department’s daring role as storm troopers did not go without incident, he said. Two patrol units sustained slight cosmetic damage as a result of slick road conditions that caused other motorists to slide into the police cars.

Public works relied heavily on the use of sand during the storm (357 yards of it) which crews spread over slick streets. The storm caused a change of pace for many public works employees, who spent 589 regular hours, in addition to 101 overtime hours sanding and plowing snow.

The end of the storm did not signal the end of public work’s duties. Although the snow had melted, sand remained on the streets, requiring 112.5 hours of street and sidewalk sweeping.

Below-freezing temperatures and the unusual accumulation of snow and ice added to an increase in calls to the fire department, which responded to five weather-related car accidents and to three victims who slipped and fell on the icy ground. A dozen burst water lines and sprinkler pipes also required help from the fire department.

Council member Beth Munns also thanked the community for their generosity this season for their donations of time, food and money to the North Whidbey Help House, giving special recognition to those who helped deliver holiday baskets to people who were unable to leave their homes or travel through the snow and ice.