DESOTO COUNTY, Miss — Crews in DeSoto County spent Wednesday preparing for winter weather that's expected to start overnight.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for DeSoto County and the Mid-South that will start at 3 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.
“DeSoto County is prepared for whatever the storm may bring,” said Michael Lee, president of the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors.
According to a release, crews prepared equipment and pretreated some bridges and overpasses with a salt/sand mixture on Wednesday.
The county has seven trucks loaded with a salt/sand mixture and seven tractors with blades ready to go. The equipment is staged at the Central Maintenance shop in Nesbit, along with the county's maintenance shops in Walls, Eudora and Olive Branch.
Together, they'll service troubled areas across the 660+ miles of roads in unincorporated DeSoto County.
“The treatment of bridges and overpasses is a priority because bridges typically freeze faster than roads,” said Supervisor Lee.
Once winter weather begins, road crews, county supervisors, EMA and deputies will start assessing conditions on the roads bridges and overpasses. Areas of concern will be treated and the county said it will let residents know which areas to avoid.
MDOT is responsible for treating state roads and highways including I-55 and U.S. 78/I-22, Highways 51, 61, 305, 304, and 302 (Goodman). Municipalities are responsible for treating their own roads and bridges.
“The public is asked to stay off the roads during the storm, if possible,” said Supervisor Jessie Medlin. “It is sometimes hard to see ice on the roads, especially during the night.”
Check with ABC24 and the DeSoto County Emergency Services and DeSoto County Government Facebook pages for updates.