SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s been a long storm for plow drivers all over KELOLAND.

They have worked a lot of hours to keep our roads and highways open and safe to drive on.

24 hours a day for more than a week.

City workers are pulled from their normal jobs to get behind the wheel of sand trucks or road graders.

They work 12 hours shifts, days and overnights.

As you can imagine, a storm like this one turns their lives upside down.

“It can be cumbersome sometimes, just with the overnight shift I mean, finding care for the kids, my wife also works for the city as the city service technician taking the phone calls from the citizens needing help so,” said Justin Horn. “…It can be some long days.”

As a way of saying thanks, Street Manager Dustin Hanson cooked up some lunch for his drivers.

“Very appreciative that they do this for us,” Horn said. “I know they don’t have to and it’s our job to come down and clear the roads, but it makes it a little bit better when we come in and they got some food for us.”

Evan Thyberg has been driving plow for the city for 6 years. He says this storm was a challenge.

“There was a lot of blowing snow, a lot more than usual, it’s tough to keep all the outskirt roads open,” Thyberg said.

Both city workers say they look forward to some rest and a reset.

The wind was still creating drifts on city streets today, so both Horn and Thyberg have another shift or two ahead of them before their work on this storm is done.

They also know mother nature will be serving up more snow before this winter is done.

Operations Manager Dustin Hansen says his crews work hard and he wants them to know he appreciates them and so does the city.