Let’s have a real talk today. That bright thing in the sky is the Sun. It’s beautiful and big we know. Don’t let it fool you!!! It’s not doing anything other than giving you false security. It’s 18 degrees outside, the sun is not melting anything.
Let’s talk roads in Bates County. They are still covered in ice. The plows have been out and they are working hard. The only thing a plow does is take the snow off the ice. Let me repeat that. The plows remove snow and leave you ice. Cars and trucks stop the same on ice……usually when it hits the ditch. Interstate I49 has one lane clear. The fast lane looks wet. DO NOT LET THIS FOOL YOU! There really isn’t a thing called wet pavement in 18 degrees weather. It’s call ice. The fast lane maybe used to pass a slower vehicle but should not be at 80+mph.
Side highways like 52, 18, D, FF, CC, Y, AA, B, and A are still solid sheets of ice.
Please think hard about traveling on those highways.
Gravel roads. Many of our townships have worked hard to treat and work on the gravel roads. Again, gravel freezes and is covered in ice. It also gives you a false sense of security. Don’t trust the roads anymore than you do a fast food fart.
Warming stations. The Sheriff’s Office does not have control over warming stations/storm shelters. Identifying and gaining agreements for a particular location to be a predetermined warming station or storm shelter is the duties of another office. We are at the mercy of those offices to activate and make those arrangements. We currently have one church in Butler that has agreed to open for this purpose.
For those of you who have needed to call for slid offs and or wrecks, thank you for having patience with response times. Remember, our employees can’t just close the doors and stay home. They risk their lives to leave their family to continue to come to work to serve you. Many of my employees realize that when they get to work they may have to sleep on the floor or work double shifts. Our dispatchers are real hero’s who always put our community first.
Public works. Many municipalities are out working on the roads and power. We know it’s an inconvenience to be without power. Our Dispatch does not dispatch for these entities. Please report your outages direct to your provider. If no electricity or heat creates a medical emergency then please call us so we can attempt to find resources for you or your loved ones. I’ve attached a picture of two Rich Hill workers working hard to spread salt at intersections. They woke up today and chose to sling salt not meth.
To sum it up. It’s still too dangerous to travel. Probably more dangerous because of the instinct to be over confident. We have ran nonstop since this weather started. Our staff will continue to come to work and be here for you.