Local officials prepare for snow and ice
Published 12:34 pm Monday, February 16, 2015
Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye
Many residents rushed to fill up propane tanks in preparation of the severe winter weather forecast for the region. At Larry and Terry’s in Valley Forge, customers lined the side of Highway 19E awaiting their turn at the tanks.
State and local officials worked Monday to batten down the hatches in anticipation of severe winter weather.
Forecasts from the National Weather Service called for snow, freezing rain and sleet for much of the Tennessee Valley on Monday including the potential for snow and ice accumulations. Snowfall totals of up to eight inches were predicted for Monday along with the possibility of up to one-half inch of ice accumulations.
The possibility of that much ice caused concern for many local officials.
Carter County Emergency Management Agency Director Gary Smith said ice accumulations combined with a heavy wet snow could lead to widespread power outages for residents. Smith spent Monday morning trying to alert residents to the forecast and urged them to be prepared for severe weather and potential power outages.
With high temperatures forecast in the 20s and lows dropping into below-zero temperatures, power outages can pose a danger to those without an alternative source of heat.
“We work with the American Red Cross and contact them if we need to open an emergency shelter,” Smith said. “They typically don’t open them for severe weather unless there is a widespread power outage and the power is going to be off for some time.”
On Monday morning, Smith said the American Red Cross had designated Lynn Valley Baptist Church as the site for an emergency shelter if one were needed due to the storm.
“It is not open or staffed yet, but they are making initial preparations to open if needed due to power outages,” Smith said shortly before noon on Monday.
The forecasted cold temperatures also had local school officials on alert.
“I have been monitoring the weather around the clock to make sure we have a safe environment for our children,” Interim Superintendent of Elizabethton City Schools Corey Gardenhour said.
Both city and county schools were already closed on Monday due to the President’s Day holiday, but school officials were keeping an eye on the weather to see if the school schedule would be impacted later in the week.
“It’s going to be a wild week,” Gardenhour said. “There will likely be two-hour delays because of the frigid temperatures later in the week.”
Crews with the Carter County Highway Department were hard at work on Monday, despite the holiday, to try to prepare for the storm.
“We’ve got all of our equipment ready,” Carter County Road Superintendent Roger Colbaugh said. “We’re mixing our salt and block dust and getting all of our people ready.”
Unlike the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Carter County Highway Department does not use salt brine to pre-treat roadways ahead of a forecast storm. Colbaugh said with around 700 miles of roadway in Carter County, pre-treating would be very costly.
The Highway Department uses a mix of salt and block dust, also called chat, to treat roadways. The block dust helps to improve traction in slick weather and mixing it in with the salt helps save the county money, Colbaugh said. The block dust can also be placed on steep hills and curves if roads become icy.
On Monday, Colbaugh said he hoped Carter County could avoid the predicted ice accumulation but no matter what the weather brought, his crews were “ready to get out there” to help keep the roads safe.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency was warning against all unnecessary travel on Monday due to hazardous road conditions. If travel is necessary, TEMA recommends calling the 511 traffic information line to get updates from TDOT on road conditions.
The State Emergency Operations Center’s Action Level was listed as a Level 4: Elevated warning on Monday and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had sent a liaison to the state’s EOC to be on hand in the event of a statewide emergency.
According to the National Weather Service, snow and cold temperatures will dominate the coming week in Northeast Tennessee. The forecast for Carter County is as follows:
Tuesday – A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 23. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night – A 20 percent chance of snow after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday – A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 21. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Wednesday Night – A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -1.
Thursday – A 20 percent chance of snow before 8 a.m. Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 14.
Thursday Night – Partly cloudy, with a low around 0.
Friday – A 20 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 27.
Friday Night – A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.
