Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

DeKalb prepares to clear ice and snow

Winter weather could arrive in metro Atlanta and DeKalb County on Friday night.
Winter weather could arrive in metro Atlanta and DeKalb County on Friday night.
By Mark Niesse
Jan 5, 2017

Trucks are standing ready to clear ice from DeKalb County roads if snow arrives this weekend.

The county announced Thursday has more than 1,000 tons of salt and 1,800 tons of sand available to make the mixture that helps remove ice from slippery streets. Sixteen sand-spreading vehicles are available.

RELATED: Metro Atlanta area's latest forecast

RELATED: Stone Mountain Park watching Atlanta snow forecast 'very closely'

Government employees will work 16-hour shifts if necessary to help make roads safe, according to the county.

The DeKalb Roads and Drainage Division has 110 cots available if employees need to sleep away from home. The county also has prepared bags filled with toiletries, socks and skull caps for winter workers.

“We have put everyone on standby,” said Peggy Allen, county’s associate director for roads and drainage. “We are currently putting crews together to be able to man the roads from Friday through Sunday. We are prepared.”

If temperatures drop below the middle 20s, the county has 1,000 bags of calcium chloride to add to its sand-and-salt mixture to help ice melt faster.

RELATED: Recycle your Christmas tree while you can; weather may cancel event

Meteorologist Karen Minton has your Thursday morning weather forecast.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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