As Winter Storm Izzy blankets Northeast Georgia in snow and ice, area public safety departments are urging citizens to stay off the roads as conditions grow more hazardous.
With ice accumulating, as well as trees and powerlines down, it’s more important than ever that Northeast Georgians stay home and off the roads.
Habersham County Emergency Services is experiencing high call volume as they respond to powerlines and trees falling on homes, damaged powerlines arcing and medical emergencies. HCES Director Chad Black urges drivers to stay off the roads and says that the department is struggling with getting 4×4 trucks down roads with ice accumulation.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office echoes those sentiments, asking drivers to stay off the roads unless “absolutely necessary.”
“Unless absolutely necessary, please stay off the roads,” HCSO says. “We are seeing a steady increase in call volume for disabled motorists and roadway obstructions. Roadway clearing operations are underway, with more snow expected.”
Habersham County Public Works Director Jerry Baggett is asking drivers to stay off the roads as the public works department continues clearing them. With traffic trying to make its way through the area and ice accumulating, it’s becoming increasingly harder for public works to do their jobs.
“We are begging folks to stay off [the roads],” Public Information Officer Carolyn Gibson says as the county departments struggle to manage road safety with drivers on them.
It’s not just Habersham officials that are telling drivers to stay home. The Gainesville Police Department is warning drivers of unsafe road conditions, too, as more freezing rain affects the region.
“We cannot say it enough – please stay home and off the roads,” the Gainesville Police Department says. “Another round of freezing rain and snow is expected to start around 11 a.m. or noon, so it won’t be safe to travel for an extended period of time.”
Georgia DOT operations
Since the start of emergency operations Friday, Georgia Department of Transportation crews have spread 1.5 million gallons of brine on state roads and will put out another 80,000 gallons of brine today in an effort to combat the freezing rain and ice accumulations. They’ve also spread 2,600 tons of salt.
More than 600 Georgia DOT employees are working to clear interstates and critical state routes near hospitals and other essential services and facilities, GDOT officials say.
Winter Storm Izzy is predicted to continue and worsen in many areas of Georgia throughout today. As the air temperature drops, so will the pavement temperature, which increases the chances that moisture will freeze – particularly later in the day and into the overnight hours.
Power outages have knocked out traffic signals in certain areas. In these situations, officials say it is critical that motorists approach the intersection as a four-way stop, look all ways and proceed only through the intersection when it is clear of traffic.
If you must travel and encounter a traffic signal outage, a downed tree or other debris in the road, officials advise you to stay in your vehicle and call 511 or your local non-emergency public safety number.
Never try to remove debris from the roadway due to the possibility of downed power lines entangled in the debris, which could be deadly.
