How Chicago's using the web to reunite 519 Snowpocalypse-stuck cars with their owners

A day after a blizzard stranded motorists for up to nine hours, creating the amazing post-Apocalyptic shots we saw yesterday, Chicago was left with 519 vehicles abandoned along Lake Shore Drive. Today, they're being reunited with owners. Here's how.

Chicago: the city that works.

With 20 inches of snow and winds that hit 60 mph, the blizzard closed Lake Shore Drive for 34 hours. Overnight, the city plowed the snow, moved the stranded vehicles to six holding lots, then reopened Lake Shore about 5:50 a.m. this morning.

Unlike New York City, which became infamous for destroying its own vehicles during its blizzard, city officials set up this website to let owners know where they could find their towed cars and trucks. The city will even provide enough free fuel to get off the lot if the vehicles ran low while trapped.

While the passengers stranded on a Chicago bus for nine hours Tuesday night didn't enjoy the experience, no one was hurt or injured in the shutdown. Chicago isn't a place that tolerates civic helplessness in the face of a little snow, something other cities might take notes on.