Gwinnett officials are confident they're well-prepared for any winter weather that may descend upon the county this weekend, but they're still urging residents to plan accordingly — and safely.
"We don't want to unnecessarily create an emergency when you could've stayed home," Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Deon Washington said during a Thursday afternoon press briefing at the county's emergency operations center.
A winter weather storm warning has been issued for the entirety of northern Georgia amid forecasts that call for as much as 4 inches of snow Friday night and Saturday. Gov. Nathan Deal plans to issue a state of emergency.
State Department of Transportation officials vowed Thursday afternoon that they'll be ready for whatever comes, and Gwinnett authorities did the same.
Gwinnett DOT director Alan Chapman said crews planned to spread brine on local roadways “on a limited basis” Thursday night, with a more extensive distribution of salt and sand mix in the works for Friday.
The county has about 1,000 gallons of brine on hand, and salt and sand at five locations throughout the county: Lawrenceville, Grayson, Buford, Duluth and Lilburn.
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Staffing-wise, the county’s DOT plans to have 50 road maintenance employees on hand, with as many as 20 more available to assist with tree clearing. About 18 technicians would be available to address traffic signal outages.
Multiple on-call crews for road maintenance, traffic operations and traffic signals will also be prepared to respond, officials said. The county has six plows and six more “motor graders” that can be used as plows.
“We do encourage people to, if you can stay home, please do, and try to wait it out,” Chapman said.
Washington, the police spokesman, said members of his department’s “special operations units” — like the DUI task force, accident investigators and motors unit — will be called upon to “supplement and support” regular patrol units if needed.
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Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said his department will also have reinforcements available and are taking extra precautions to make sure firefighters and paramedics are able to report for duty.
Thursday’s meeting at Gwinnett’s emergency operations center involved representatives from about 50 local agencies, from emergency personnel and law enforcement to groups like the Red Cross.
“We’ve had this experience in the past,” Chapman said. “We do have staff that’s ready to mobilize to address it.”
