Ice Covered Start

Jefferson County, Tennessee residents wake Friday morning to ice and freezing rain - Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

Jefferson County, Tennessee residents wake Friday morning to ice and freezing rain – Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

Jefferson County residents awoke on Friday morning to a glaze of ice covering the area. Icy streets limited road travel, as freezing rain moved into the area before daybreak. Temperatures did not recover as quickly as expected and, as a second bout of precipitation moved across the Cumberland Plateau and headed for East Tennessee, forecasters continued to caution residents to stay indoors and out of the elements. Though road crews did preparatory work in anticipation of the icy event, secondary roads and interstates were treacherous. Perhaps as dangerous were porches, sidewalks, decks, driveways and parking lots that were covered with an icy sheen. According to the Director of Jefferson County E-911 Marcus Reed, there are a lot of issues in the County due to the icy situation. Tim Wilder, Deputy Director of Jefferson County’s Emergency Management, stated Friday morning that the early prediction of the impending ice had most people prepared to stay inside. He said that some roads are impassable, and the new forecast is predicting up to ½ inch of ice for Friday. The Road Departments are out working the roads all day and there have been quite a few accidents, particularly on the interstate. Jefferson County has a dedicated Emergency Operations Center that is located in the new Emergency Combination Building which allows officials to have real time situation reports that give a full picture of the regional area.

Friday’s icy situation was the first time that the Emergency Operations Center had been utilized since the move into the new building. A Red Cross shelter is currently set up at the Jefferson City Community Center and there is the possibility that others will be opened as needed. Though widespread power outages were not a problem as of mid morning on Friday, the expectation was that, with the onslaunt of more ice in the area, power outages could be an issue. Below freezing temperatures are expected to bring on a re freeze overnight and residents should exercise caution on Saturday, as well. For today, officials are requesting that travel be limited to emergencies and necessities and that residents stay home, if possible.

Residents can get updates and alerts by the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency by going to NEXLE.COM and signing up for email or text notices for their particular county.

Source: K. Depew, News Director