Stark agencies prepare for winter storm Landon
The exact amount of rain, ice and snow coming Thursday is uncertain, but those responsible for responding to the winter storm are prepared for any possibility.
Tim Warstler, director of the Stark County Emergency Management Agency, provided an overview of the agency's plans in an email Tuesday morning.
"The emergency operations center will open for this event if we experience large-scale power outages for an extended period," he stated. "We began planning calls with some partners yesterday for warming centers and a countywide overnight shelter if needed, due to power outages."
The agency had a conference call scheduled with the National Weather Service in Cleveland and planned to provide another update afterward.
Parking bans
Ahead of the potential storm, some local communities have issued parking bans.
Massillon's parking ban takes effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday and continues until further notice.
Plain Township's ban begins Thursday morning and lasts through Saturday night.
Perry Township's ban starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday and ends at 3 p.m. Friday.
Canton Township's ban is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday through 11:59 p.m. Friday.
Lake Township's ban is 11:59 p.m Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Friday.
The city of Canton and Alliance have ordinances that allow for parking bans when more than 4 inches of snow accumulate.
Canton Street Superintendent Steve Trzcinski said it's "been a while" since Canton implemented a ban, but city officials were considering it Tuesday. Regardless, he asked residents to park off the street, if possible.
"Just to help with that, with the crews for easier snow removal," he said. "And if the streets have double, where you can park on both sides of the road, if you park on the even side-address side, that would help us greatly."
Mike Dreger, the director of public safety and service in Alliance, said the city will continue monitoring the forecast and will give residents at least a two-hour notice before any parking ban takes effect. Officials also try to announce bans before midnight so residents can make plans for their vehicles.
“We’re trying really hard to strike a balance because we know we have a lot of residents who really rely heavily on-street parking,” Dreger said.
The city recommends residents sign up for the parking ban notification program, which can be found at https://oh-alliance.regroup.com/signup.
Road outlook
The Ohio Department of Transportation crews "are prepared for whatever Mother Nature brings," according to a Tuesday news release.
"In Northeast Ohio, we've got more than 166,000 tons of salt on hand and the ability to make our own salt brine to combat this storm," the release states. "Mechanics have been tuning up the snowplows and our drivers are ready to begin 12-hour shifts."
ODOT treats state and U.S. routes outside of municipalities and interstates, except the Ohio Turnpike.
Stark County is ready to send 24 plow trucks out in 12-hour shifts as soon as the snow starts, said Chief Deputy Engineer Dave Torrence.
"We're actually getting some salt deliveries today and tomorrow," he said. "We kind of continuously replace our stock of salt."
However, with rain beforehand, pre-treating with salt isn't an option because it would be washed away. If the rain changes to ice, Torrence said, it could bond to the road and cause problems with black ice.
"If we get the anticipated ice before the snow, I would think Thursday morning is going to be pretty bad," he said. "Anybody that can stay off the road, I think would be a good decision."
Canton will have 15 to 21 drivers out around the clock, starting Wednesday evening.
"It's one of those things where you don't know — other than having the crews ready and the trucks ready — until you actually meet the storm and know what it's doing," Trzcinski said. "Our operation will fluctuate depending on what's happening outside."
Flight plans
The Akron-Canton Airport also has crews at the ready.
"They were able to do an excellent job with our last snowstorm, keeping the runways open and safe throughout the entire event," said Lisa Dalpiaz, the airport's director of marketing and air service development. "We expected the exact same thing this time around."
The airport uses potassium acetate to remove ice from the runways because regular salt would corrode the aircraft, and also has a team dedicated to removing snow from public spaces.
"Our snow crew has years and years and years of experience," Dalpiaz said. "Some of the folks on the snow removal team have been here for over 35 years. So they've seen the worst of the worst, and they're prepared."
Dalpiaz still recommends travelers check with their airlines before coming to the airport and sign up for airline alerts in case of delays or cancellations.
Forecast
Kirk Lombardy, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Cleveland office, said the snow is expected to hit the northern tier of Stark harder around 4 to 5 a.m. Thursday.
"Unfortunately, that's going to just make the morning commute more difficult," he said.
The southern part of Stark will get freezing rain and sleet, but the snow will begin moving into that area around 5 or 6 p.m. Thursday, he said.
By the time it's over, northern Stark could see 8 inches of snow while the southeastern part of the county could get 4 to 6 inches, Lombardy said.
Still, he cautioned, that forecast could change as the direction of the system isn't certain yet.
Reporters Lori Steineck and Paige Bennett contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County agencies prepare for winter storm Landon
