With the possibility of more winter weather in the Sandhills this weekend, the Moore County Department of Public Safety has issued an update and winter weather preparedness guidelines.
Read the official statement below.
It is important that all North Carolinians finish preparations by Friday evening. The safest thing to do starting Friday evening is just to stay home and off the roadways. Roadway conditions will deteriorate overnight Friday and throughout the weekend. Staying off the roads allows first responders, the NCDOT, the NCNG, and the NCSHP to work safely to clear roads and to respond to emergencies.
While power outages are unlikely to occur with this snow event, we should still be prepared. Have a plan for how you stay warm should you lose power. Visit ReadyNC.Gov for preparedness tips. Your plan should be finalized before Friday night.
With the extended period of cold temperatures, some bodies of water have a thin layer of ice on top of the water. Please talk to your children about staying off the ice. While it is beautiful to look at, it can be deadly for people and their pets if you venture onto the ice. It cannot hold your weight.
Make sure you are stocked up on food and water for several days, as the roads may be in rough shape for a while, given the cold temperatures. Pull out the disaster kit one more time and check it over.Have your Disaster Kit ready to go with:
o 1 Gallon of water per person in your household for 3-7 days.
o Enough non-perishable foods for each member of your household.
o Pet supplies and food. – Flashlights – Extra batteries
o Cell phone charging supplies – AM/FM weather radio
o Winter weather clothing – Blankets
o Fire Extinguisher – First Aid Kit
You need to plan to stay home and off the roads this weekend. NC DOT crews and first responders should be given priority on the roadway. Help them, help us, and stay home. Starting Saturday morning, Plan to stay home and off the roads until at least Monday. Stranded vehicles may be left on the side of the road and marked with a piece of yellow caution tape. If you see a vehicle with yellow caution tape on the mirror or wrapped around it, it has been checked by first responders and is not an emergency. Please only call 911for emergencies.
For the most up-to-date roadway information, visit DriveNC.Gov.
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Contributed article. File photo by Sandhills Sentinel Publisher BJ Goodridge.
