CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – As we continue tracking the upcoming winter storm, we’ve been working for you to talk to local officials on how they are staying prepared.
“Naturally, we have double-checked our resources and our materials and then everything is being staged accordingly,” said Jim Lancianese, public works director for the Town of Christiansburg.
Crews in Christiansburg are preparing for winter weather, and with this storm, there is an extra layer to getting the roads clear.
“Snow you can remove if the temperatures are cooperating fairly easy, ice is another thing,” Lancianese said.
Freezing rain can lead to dangerous conditions, with power outages and slick roadways.
“Every time we have an event our trucks are run through our Fleet maintenance shop,” said Lancianese. “Everything is checked out — make sure it’s operational. We’ll know what we have to use and what we don’t have to use.”
While the town prepares for the weather, officials said if there is an emergency, they have plans set in place to make sure crews can get there.
“We’ll make sure we send that plow up through there to make sure that road is treated and plowed open to get [emergency crews] there as quickly and safely as possible,” Lancianese said.
Pulaski County officials also said they have a plan for emergencies during these weather events.
“If we get called into a more remote area or a rural area, it might take a snowplow or something to get into some of these folk’s driveways,” said Brad Wright, emergency manager for Pulaski County.
Emergency management leaders in Pulaski County are checking their generators, and said due to the county’s large size, they have to be prepared for anything.
“During a large winter event that may have a lot of snow or potential ice like this weekend, we also have our county resources prepared and ready to assist,” Wright said.
Public safety officials ask citizens to stay home so they can clear roads and quickly respond to emergency needs.