PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the first time this winter, snow showers are possible in Portland this weekend, with state and local agencies already preparing.
From roads to warming shelters, plans are in motion if temperatures drop this weekend.
Agencies including the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation and Oregon Department of Transportation have been covering the roads with a chemical to prevent ice from forming over the last week. However, that can only happen when the roads are dry. The rain has since come so they shelved those plans and have sand and salt trucks on stand-by, instead.
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“We do plow or sand, over 400 miles of roads in unincorporated Washington County during most major weather events,” said Melissa De Lyser, a spokesperson for the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation.
“We have spent months preparing for this. And we are very confident that we are ready to face whatever mother nature throws at us,” said Ryan McCrary, a spokesperson for Oregon Department of Transportation.
If the roads are bad, transportation officials ask people to stay home. In previous storms, people have attempted to drive and were forced to abandon their vehicles, preventing snow plows from clearing the streets.
“We’re adding crews this weekend. Overnight, Saturday night and Sunday night, we’ll have, a very robust, staffing presence,” said Dylan Rivera, a spokesperson for the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Multnomah County also has plans to start warming shelters in the next few days, should the need arise.
During an ice storm last year, the county faced criticism after shutting down a warming shelter after temperatures dropped below predictions. This year, officials said they are focusing on getting warming shelter staff ready days in advance.
“We can give ourselves a little bit more flexibility just in case we see an event extend, or maybe the forecast, you know, starts to change a lot in that last, you know, 12 hours,” said Multnomah County Director of Emergency Management Chris Voss.
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TriMet also said they are monitoring the forecast and if winter weather — including snow — descends on Portland metro area streets, it may affect their bus service, “particularly at higher elevations and toward the Columbia River Gorge.”
TriMet customers are encouraged to check their alert site for the latest information on any potential service disruptions.
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