TULSA, Okla. — Green Country agencies are making final preparations as the weekend ahead calls for bitterly cold temperatures, snow, and freezing precipitation.
Broken Arrow crews scheduled brine treatments to be finished before the end of the business day on Thursday. Later at midnight, crews will start laying down salt and move on to plowing the snow.
As for the City of Tulsa, 2 News spoke with the Streets Maintenance Manager, who said they are taking a slightly different approach, starting about 1 a.m. Jan. 11.
Salt is probably what we'll start with on this event," McCorkle said, "Because there's a chance of rain coming in first. So if the roadway is wet, then we'll just put salt down, which will hold it on the roadway. That will keep the snow from bonding on the roadway."
Crews are taking the best preventative measures they can, but car crashes are inevitable. EMSA will be responding to injury collisions. Monday, a relatively minor event, they responded to about 40 crashes. They are expecting more throughout the weekend. Adam Paluka, a spokesperson for EMSA, illustrated the importance of staying off dangerous roads.
"You don't just have to feel comfortable with yourself behind the wheel. You have to be comfortable with everyone else on the roads," Paluka said, "Because that's what's really going to affect if you're in an accident or not."
First responders will be strained throughout the cold snap. In Owasso, agencies are dealing with their own population in addition to any commuters who visit town. Lt. Nick Boatman offered a tip for people to ease the strain on dispatchers.
Boatman is anticipating officers will respond to abandoned vehicles. He's advising people to look out for crime scene tape tied to mirrors or antennas, signaling that the officers have already visited and checked the vehicle. If that crime scene tape is visible, no call to the police is necessary.
Finally, Tulsa Fire is reminding neighbors that they are always prepared and confident but vigilant.
"We're prepared for emergencies every day. But the other side of that is we kind of look at the other situations that are approaching, and we try to figure out exactly what's going to happen with the weather," Baker said.
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