Mother Nature delivered over the weekend, dropping about 5 inches of pretty, fluffy snow across the region, with greater amounts in the higher elevations. Snow began overnight Friday and fell into late Saturday afternoon, transforming Union County into a winter wonderland.
In terms of preparation by state and local officials, it was déjà vu after Winter Storm Fern swept through the Southeast the previous weekend. Thankfully, Union escaped most major impacts from both storms, though Suches received significant ice accumulations on Jan. 24.
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Once again, the motto for public safety personnel, government employees and the public was “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
For this past Saturday’s winter storm, the Georgia Department of Transportation again pre-treated main highways, as did the Union County Road Department for main county roads and known trouble spots.
Plows and road treatment crews continued to run over the weekend, and the City of Blairsville had workers looking after roadways as well.
Because the snow was so light and fluffy – apparently a rarity in this part of the country – the wintry precipitation posed little risk to trees and powerlines, and gusty winds prevented the powdery white stuff from weighing down limbs and knocking out electricity.
The winds themselves, upwards of 30-plus mph, proved a potential source of fallen trees and powerlines, but the county once again fared well, with very few downed trees and just a handful of power outages systemwide for the ever-prepared Blue Ridge Mountain EMC.
Slick roadways were the primary problem, resulting in roughly half a dozen wrecks in the county, though there were no serious injuries reported due to the storm.
Roads were nasty all weekend long and remained a concern to start the week, as many secondary roads remained blanketed with snow, and temps were not expected to get above freezing until later Monday.
With roads so heavily impacted, day-to-day commercial and residential activities were entirely disrupted. Most local businesses closed, and there were very few drivers and pedestrians around town compared to a usual Saturday, undoubtedly contributing to the lack of emergency calls.
The National Weather Service forecast was on the money this time, very closely matching the weather that actually arrived.
An extreme cold warning was issued Saturday through Sunday afternoon, and prolonged subfreezing temps were expected to last more than 60 hours in the mountains, with single digit thermometer readings at times and wind chills in the negatives.
As usual during extreme winter weather, the weather service was advising people to simply stay home and mind the Four P’s, that is, make sure to protect People, Pets, Pipes and Plants from extremely low temperatures.
On Sunday, Union County Schools announced an at-home learning day for Monday, Feb. 2, with the status of school on Tuesday made known after press time.
Union County Government also closed its facilities on Monday, announcing that government offices were expected to reopen on Tuesday, Feb. 3, “with the exception of Union County Transportation.”
“Because secondary roads could still have ice and snow, Union County Transportation will resume normal operations on Wednesday, Feb. 4,” according to Facebook.
Before the storm, the Union County Senior Center once again sent home extra meals to homebound seniors in the Meals on Wheels program, and Vogel State Park hosted a warming station for a second weekend in a row.
Union County Emergency Management Agency hosted three days of weather briefings at Fire Station No. 1 last week to give local officials a better idea of how to prepare as the storm system moved closer.
“It’s one of those situations where, thank God it was on the weekend, when people didn’t have to travel as much,” EMA Director David Dyer said Sunday. “Our folks were prepared last weekend, and that just flowed over into this weekend.
“We were expecting a pretty good bit of a response from this, but luckily, we were not required to go out as much on these wrecks. And everybody was ready for it; everybody stayed home, they were prepared. That helped us out a lot.”
Of course, there is the potential for additional winter weather down the pipeline, and Dyer said people should always prepare to be without power for at least three days.
“Part of preparing is creating a Ready Kit that includes non-perishable food, water (one gallon per person, per day), flashlights, batteries, first-aid kit, etc.,” Dyer said. “For more information on Ready Kits, please visit www.ready.gov/kit.
“Ready Kits are also a good idea for your vehicle. Drivers should create a Ready Kit in the event that they may be stranded. Supplies include food, water, blankets, flashlights, batteries, and a first-aid kit. A portable mobile phone charger is also recommended for your vehicle and your home.”
