By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Both Carter County and the City of Grayson braced for a winter storm event that began around noon on Sunday. Various weather models predicted a broad range of snow and ice moving into our area with predictions ranging from an inch of snow and a quarter inch of freezing rain and ice, up to fifteen inches of snow and over an inch of freezing rain. As of Monday morning, the area had received about a half inch of sleet and approximately seven inches of snow.
The City of Grayson declared a state of emergency due to the large amount of snow and hazardous conditions. Grayson Mayor Troy Combs said the city snowplows were out in force in an attempt to keep the streets as clear as possible. Combs posted on Facebook Sunday morning that the Grayson Police Department is prepared to conduct public safety efforts in case of power outages as well. Emergency Management directors Joanne and Roger Dunfee have organized a warming shelter to open at FCC Grayson on Pomeroy Street in downtown Grayson.
The American Legion Family Willard Post 342 has prepared to open their facility, Combs said, and added that he will be available at all times. He can be reached over messenger or phone for assistance or to report non-emergency issues at (606)315-5357, but for emergencies those in need should dial 911.
Warming shelters are only opened after there is a major power outage.
Emergency Management Director Joanne Dunfee said that when the State of Kentucky issued a State of Emergency Declaration, the City of Grayson followed suit.
“We spoke with Ben James at First Church of Christ,” Dunfee said. “We asked if we could use his facility, and he graciously said yes.”
Dunfee said they performed opening preparations, which included setting up 30 cots, but added that they had resources to accommodate 82 people if necessary. The shelter is set to serve Grayson and the surrounding area, Dunfee said.
Dunfee said that the emergency conditions could extend beyond the time of the snowfall itself. Road crews are out and working, she said, but given the low temperatures you can’t depend upon being able to get out. In the event of a widespread power outage, the shelter will open, but people should take extreme care if they are forced to make use of it. Dunfee urges everyone to stay safe, and check for current updates on road conditions and other issues through emergency management’s social media profiles, such as Facebook.
Carter County Judge Executive Brandon Burton said on Monday that, so far, the county is managing to ride the storm out.
“Right now, we are holding our own,” Burton said. “We haven’t had any tree problems yet, and the guys are out working on our roads trying to get things treated.”
“So far we have no power outages in Carter County,” Burton added. “The Willard American Legion set up a warming station in case we needed it, but so far, we haven’t. But our emergency management team is active, so if anyone has an emergency, they can dial 911.”
Burton said the frigid temperatures work against road clearing, due in part to the fact that salt is ineffective once temperatures drop below 18 degrees.
“We are working on it, but we might be a week away from getting everything under control. We didn’t get as much freezing rain as they were calling for, and that has helped us as far not bringing down a lot of trees. But there is about a half inch of icy crust on everything that is really heavy and hard to push.”
“It’s been tough, but we’ve been blessed so far,” Burton said, even though it might be hard to look at it that way. “And we’ll get through it.”
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
