City of Charlotte prepares for potential winter weather
Crews brining roads, monitoring weather conditions
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 16, 2018) – The City of Charlotte is diligently preparing for the first snow of 2018, with multiple departments working together to plan for and respond to potential winter weather.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management is constantly monitoring weather conditions, with up to an inch and a half of snow possible for the Charlotte region. Mecklenburg County government, with the support of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross, will open an emergency shelter tonight at the Grady Cole Center, located on the Central Piedmont Community College Campus at 310 N. Kings Drive in Charlotte. Read more information about sheltering operations>>.
The City of Charlotte will continue monitoring weather conditions and provide updates accordingly.
Additional city preparation and response efforts include:
Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT)
The Charlotte Department of Transportation’s street maintenance division crews are applying salt brine today on all priority routes, bridges and culverts, hospital entrances and emergencies called in. Beginning at 10 p.m., CDOT will target major and minor thoroughfares and the majority of residential collector streets.
Motorists are asked to give heavy equipment and trucks treating roads plenty of room to work.
Motorists should report icy road conditions by calling CharMeck 311. Also, reports of routine icing on city streets can be called in to 704-336-3200. Actual emergencies and crashes should be called in to 911.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)
CATS anticipates operating a regular schedule for buses, LYNX trains and CityLYNX streetcars. Special Transportation Service will operate as scheduled.
Citizens should go to ridetransit.org before leaving their homes to check for information on their specific route. Ridetransit.org will contain the most up-to-date information. Citizens can also call 704-336-RIDE (7433). Wait times for information may be long due to increased call volume.
Charlotte Water
Charlotte Water works around the clock to make sure the community has continuous water service.
The community can help out in the following ways:
- Report leaks to 311. After hours, callers can use the phone prompt system to report leaks. This is the fastest method to get a crew to respond.
- Know that Charlotte Water will respond to every leak report but may prioritize repairs to address emergencies sooner.
- Today, before you need to use it, find the main water turn off switch in your home. For many, it is located near the water heater. In case of a burst pipe, shut off water as quickly as possible.
- If you are suddenly without water service, check with a neighbor. If others are without water too, Charlotte Water may have needed to temporarily shut off water service to address a nearby emergency repair.
- Major road closures and larger water outages are posted at Charlotte Water’s Twitter page.
Solid Waste Services (SWS)
Solid Waste Services is putting organic salt on sidewalks on Trade and Tryon streets and staff will be on 12-hour shifts for that area. The department will also assist with snow-shoveling efforts as needed.
For the latest emergency information
Web: http://charlottenc.gov/emergency
Follow @CharMeckEM for the latest developments