Crews prep for second wave of winter
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- It has been non-stop work for emergency crews this week in central Ohio, and that work is not stopping soon as more winter weather is expected to move in on Friday.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) spent Thursday loading up its trucks with salt to prepare for the impending storm.
“They're ready to go ahead of the snow that we're seeing in the forecast this weekend,” Hannah Salem, the public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 6, said.
Salem said ODOT has around 200 crews ready to clear the roads across central Ohio.
“We have all hands on deck,” Salem said.
Salem said if you see the plows on the roads to give them space. She said that during this winter, 19 plows have been hit, with one of those incidents happening Thursday -- nearly as many as the department saw all of last winter.
“When our crews get hit, they are taken off their plow route and so that means that it's going to take longer to get those roadways clear,” Salem said. “You know, our crews are out there trying to clear the roads and make sure that they are safe for everyone to travel on, to give our crews as much room to work as possible, to make sure they can get home safely, too.”
Over at the Franklin County Emergency Management headquarters, director Jeff Young said they are keeping a close eye on the storm.
“I'm not seeing anything that it's overly concerning right now,” he said. “I think our temperatures and our wind chills are going to be, you know, a little cooler than normal, but not extreme.”
Young said if you haven’t already, make sure you are stocked up on non-perishable foods and bottled water, just in case you get stuck inside your home. Young said if you are planning to go out in the storm for any reason to have a plan.
“You have the potential to get stuck on the roadways, so you want to have, you know, warm clothing, you know, a blanket in the car, those things that you might need to help you in your travels, you know,” he said. “Pay attention to what your route is looking like from start to finish."
Young said now is the time to start charging up all your devices like cellphones to make sure you are getting real-time alerts about what is going on, always using information from trusted sources.