Jones County prepares for possible winter storm, urges residents to plan ahead

County leaders say bridges are being pre-treated and utility crews are staging resources as forecasts are closely monitored.

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Jones County officials say they’ve been closely monitoring forecasts and National Weather Service briefings as the threat of a possible winter storm looms.

County crews have already begun pre-treating fire stations and county-owned bridges and have staged equipment across the county to ensure a quick response if conditions worsen.

“All we can do is just prepare as if we were going to get some impactful amount of ice,” said Jones County Administrator Jason Rizner. “We have been at our fire stations, we’ve pre-treated those so that trucks can get in and out. We are doing the same with bridges around the county. The county-owned bridges, those are being pre-treated as we speak.”

Rizner is also encouraging residents to take steps now to be ready in case travel becomes unsafe or power outages occur.

“Just making sure that you have adequate food and supplies at home if you needed to stay there,” Rizner said. “Certainly, if the event reaches a certain magnitude, we would work with our partners at the Red Cross to open shelters and that type of thing.”

Utility crews with Tri-County EMC say they’ve also been preparing throughout the week. Crews have been stocking supplies, fueling trucks and lining up additional help in case outages occur.

“So we’ve had some time to prepare,” said Greg Mullis, Chief Operating Officer for Tri-County EMC. “We’ve been doing sort of normal things, filling up supplies, making sure trucks are stocked, fueling up saws and things we know we’re going to need. We’ve also been staging outside crews to help us, and we do have some contractors that help our linemen.”

Both county and utility leaders say safety remains the top priority, especially if icy conditions bring down power lines.

“More than anything, stay away from down power lines,” Mullis said. “Make sure that you’ve got flashlights and batteries and some backup power if they need it, if the power or internet is out for a day or so, and what to expect.”