Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Agencies across Jonesboro are preparing for incoming winter weather and say they are ready for whatever happens.
Craighead County is under a winter storm warning, with five to eight inches of winter precipitation forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.
Anthony Coy, director of Craighead County Emergency Management, said county crews were not only working to prepare roads, but also to ensure county buildings could stay open during the winter weather and prepare vehicles that would be out patrolling during the storm.
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“The road department works on readying their equipment for whatever they’re faced with. The sheriff’s department, a lot of them may spend a lot of time getting the tires changed on their vehicles. They’re going to be out working, same as they normally would; they have a stockpile of winter tires that they’re probably getting those put on in the shops,” Coy said.
He added that his office was working on planning for various scenarios, ensuring proper equipment is where it needs to be, and that he would be monitoring the situation as it played out.
Steve Tippitt, superintendent of the Jonesboro Street Department, said the department’s spread and snowplow trucks were loaded up, and crews were already working to familiarize themselves with their routes.
Once the weather moves in, he said crews were placing priority on clearing main roads, with each shift to last 12 hours. As winter weather moves out, crews will then begin working on clearing secondary roads, which include subdivisions.
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“We’ll just stay on our main thoroughfares and keep them all going, and it’s just repetition keeping it plowed off,” Tippitt said.
He added that if there was no rain, crews would begin to pre-treat bridges with sand to assist with traction.
Slade Mitchell, Energy Marketing Administrator for City Water and Light (CWL), said the company had already prepared its backup generators at key water and wastewater facilities, as well as prepared its large generators on Dan Avenue. Preparations began about a week ago.
“The trucks are stocked up with equipment. They’re fueled up, they’re ready to go,” Mitchell said. “We have field personnel deployed in a rapid response fashion, and we’ve had conversations with external, third-party contractors, sister utilities, mutual aid type agreements, where, should we need to call on additional workforce, we have those folks waiting and on the ready for us.”
He added that CWL was watching weather models and monitoring activities from the larger electric grid.
“At this point, we are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” Mitchell said. “As far as preparedness, we’re in good shape.”
