JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The Jacksonville Fire Department has responded to 50 calls over the weekend as the snowstorm wreaked havoc across the East.
Jacksonville Deputy Fire Chief Shaun Hayes worked through the weekend and said most people they encountered on roadways were traveling to or from work, while others stayed home. As roads continue to improve, response times will also improve.
“We’re obviously able to respond a little bit faster. We’ve told our crews to respond based on road conditions. Obviously, this is going to take a little bit longer than it does on our normal routine days, but we are coming regardless of weather conditions,” Hayes said.
Jacksonville Fire Captain Lindon Southerland said the end of snowfall does not eliminate safety concerns, as the temperatures will drop below freezing Monday night.
“My biggest concern tonight is just the roads refreezing or icing over,” Southerland said. When you hit bridges, a lot of times you have an inch of ice.”
NCDOT is prioritizing main roads before moving to secondary streets. That strategy is directly impacting emergency response times in residential areas.
Secondary roads throughout Jacksonville remain unplowed, forcing fire and rescue crews to navigate the conditions to reach residents in need.
Officials are still urging people to stay home. On Sunday, the City of Jacksonville announced there had been 15 vehicle accidents since the snow started Saturday.
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