Ice warning: Emergency officials urge caution on roads
OKOLONA, Miss. (WCBI) – Slush turned to ice on many of the roads in our area.
“The roads are what we call slush right now, but because the temperatures are steadily dropping since the sun went down, it’s quickly turning into ice,” said Chickasaw County Emergency Management Agency Director Linda Griffin.
Griffin emphasized the importance of staying off the roads during severe winter weather.
She said there are two types of people who will be out on the icy pavement.
“We’ve got people who are going slow because their job requires them to be at work. And then you got the sightseers. You can tell they have no regard for other traffic. They’re going as fast as they want to. And it creates chaos for the rest of us who have to be out there,” said Griffin.
Law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, and coroners are dedicated professionals who don’t get the luxury of snow days.
And an avoidable accident could cause an unnecessary loss of life.
“If you’re just out joyriding and have a wreck, then you call out all those emergency services. You put their lives in danger. You put their health in danger. Because they’re on those same conditions that probably got you where you are. You take into consideration that you tied up those emergency services if you went somewhere and you didn’t even have to be out of the house,” said Griffin.
Remember if you do have to be out, and you happen to hit an ice patch on the road, do not jerk the wheel, do not hit the brakes. Driving as slowly as possible can help mitigate these risks.
