Residents prepare for coming blizzard

    As the Washington area prepares for the blizzard that is scheduled to begin Tuesday evening and last through Wednesday, local authorities are advising residents to stay indoors if at all possible. Approximately seven inches of snow is predicted to fall Tuesday night, accompanied by 30 to 40 mph wind gusts. Larry Smith, the Washington County emergency management coordinator, said that a combination of wet, heavy snow and strong winds can lead to scattered power outages.

    In the event of a power outage, public buildings such as the schools or churches may be used as shelters. If not enough supplies are available, the buildings may serve simply as ?warming centers? where people can go who do not have heat in their homes.

    The buildings that would be used in the event of a power outage have not been determined, according to Smith. He said that which buildings are chosen as shelters or warming centers depend on which buildings maintain power in a blackout.

    ?We don?t want to send people to a cold building,? said Smith.

    Washington County has a service to make robocalls to the county?s residents to alert them of an emergency. However, Smith said Washington?s emergency alert system is only used when a child is missing or an elderly person is in danger. He said it is not used for weather-related news.

    Keokuk County, on the other hand, subscribes to a service known as ?Code Red? that allows it to send general announcements over the phone lines. For instance, Smith said that the county sent out 557 automated calls Tuesday morning to alert parents and students in the Tri-County School District that school was delayed.

    Smith said power outages are especially dangerous for people who depend on electricity to live, such as people on oxygen. He said that people on dialysis who need treatment multiple times per week are also at risk.

For the full article, see the Dec. 8 edition of the Washington Evening Journal.