PADUCAH — WPSD Local 6 has activated a Weather Authority Alert for Sunday, Jan. 5, into Monday, Jan. 6, due to a messy mix of snow, sleet, ice, and rain in the weekend’s forecast; the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has crews across the state preparing roads ahead of a forecast winter storm and is encouraging drivers to stay safe and prepared.
Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 4, ahead of the anticipated winter storm.
“When we receive a warning of significant and impactful weather, we want Kentuckians across the state to be prepared,” said Gov. Andy Beshear in part. “The same way state highway crews have their plans in place, I want to encourage every Kentuckian to do the same by monitoring the weather, avoiding unnecessary travel, and packing an emergency car kit.”
The transportation cabinet maintains most roads, streets, and bridges in the State Highway System, including interstates, parkways, and U.S. route designations.
“As this storm has continued to evolve and increase in expected severity, our crews will be relying on the public to avoid unnecessary travel so they can keep roads passable for emergency personnel. The threat of ice will elevate dangerous road conditions and increase the likelihood of downed tree limbs, which pose a greater challenge to the state’s snowfighting and emergency crews,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray.
KYTC encourages drivers to have an Emergency Car Kit; here is what is recommended:
- First aid kit
- Extra coat, gloves, and blankets or sleeping bag
- Non-perishable food and water
- Baby formula, diapers, wipes
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Portable phone chargers
- Pet food, water, leash, bowl
- Medications
- Ice scraper and jumper cables
- Shovel, and a bag of sand or litter
The transportation cabinet also noted what drivers should do if a traffic signal is not working. If the light is flashing yellow, proceed with caution. If the light is flashing red, treat it as a stop sign. If there is no signal light, treat it as a 4-way stop.
KYTC instructs drivers who stumble upon downed power lines never to touch or drive over a fallen power line, call 911 if a power line has fallen on their vehicle, assume all downed power lines are live, and not attempt to move them.
Click here for additional snow and ice resources, like priority route maps, tips, and highway district updates.
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