Officials across Benton and Washington counties are bracing for the frigid temperatures, freezing rain and snow expected to hit much of Northwest Arkansas today and Friday.
Both counties are included in a winter weather warning issued by the National Weather Service office in Tulsa, Okla., which forecast prolonged freezing rain and sleet for much of Arkansas and Oklahoma starting this morning, transitioning to several inches of snow into Friday afternoon.
Highs are forecast to be in the 20s. Half an inch of ice could accumulate.
Early this week the counties’ emergency managers began preparation among the road and sheriff’s departments, city governments and the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the American Red Cross for whatever hand the first wave of winter deals.
“Our main worry right now is snow, but we’re prepared with anything we might face,” said Robert McGowen, Benton County’s emergency manager. “The Red Cross is prepared to open shelters. The Road Department has people on standby.”
Before the cold front arrived Wednesday evening, city and county crews were installing snow plows and loading gravel and salt onto dozens of dump trucks and 1-ton pickups that will try to keep clear the more than 5,000 miles of roads in both counties. Washington County installed its limestone gravel truck beds Wednesday afternoon, for example, while Bentonville began installation and vehicle diagnostics Tuesday.
“Everything’s working, everything’s functional,” Tony Davis, Bentonville’s street manager, said, crediting the weather service for several days of advance warning. “Now they’ve got it down to when the ice is coming, when the snow’s coming. It’s nice to have that information.”
Washington County officials opened the bridge connecting Harvey Dowell Road and Mally Wagnon Road in southeast Fayetteville on Wednesday, ahead of its scheduled grand opening after extensive repair, so trucks can use it today.
“We were ready for it to be opened, but we did go ahead and get it open today,” said Marilyn Edwards, Washington County judge. “With bad weather coming in, we felt like it’d be a good idea.”
Most officials said roads won’t be pre-treated for ice, pointing to the rain expected today, which could simply wash away the de-icing chemicals. Sam Goade, Springdale’s road director, said he was pre-treating sparingly.
“We’ll do a little bit of pre-treatment around our bridges and emergency facilities,” including the police station, he said. “Sometimes, you know, when those guys come flying out of the building, the last thing you want them to do is fall down on the ice.”
John Luther, Washington County’s emergency director, advised residents to keep a blanket or sleeping bag in their cars, avoid downed power lines and check car and smoke detector batteries.
“Just do some good preventative things,” he said Tuesday. “Preparedness is something everybody needs to take a part in.”
The local Red Cross chapter has about a dozen shelters in the two counties ready to be activated at the request of each county in the event of widespread power loss, said Rick Harvey, Red Cross spokesman. Those places would be open overnight to provide heating and restrooms, and some would have food and cots.
Harvey declined to specify the standby locations to avoid confusion over which ones will open. He said they include churches and community centers, and locations will be broadcast through social media, local media and the city and county governments. He suggested people plan for what they’ll need to take with them, including prescriptions.
All told, the Red Cross has the capacity to shelter 6,000 people, Harvey said, but such an effort wasn’t necessary even after January 2009’s ice storm, which cut power for more than 100,000 and caused $77 million in damage.
Seven Hills Homeless Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fayetteville will be open usual hours Thursday and Friday, serving a free lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., said Kristina Andazola, a case manager with the organization.
“We are getting our bins ready to give out extra blankets and stuff like that — we are trying to prepare,” she said, adding donations of winter clothing would be helpful. “As far as overnight shelter, we don’t offer that, but we are going to be trying to load the guys up with warm stuff like coats and gloves and blankets.”