FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) – Following flooding from two hurricanes this fall, Cumberland County is again bracing for a severe storm, and the water it will bring.
The weekend forecasts for Fayetteville and the surrounding areas call for rain.
“I never like to hear much about rain on the forecast after what we experienced with Matthew and Florence,” City of Fayetteville spokesperson Nathan Walls said Friday. “I would advise anyone, especially on Sunday, to be in their homes. We’re expecting cold rain. That should rear its head on Saturday evening.”
Walls said the city streets division does not anticipate any snow or ice. There are three trucks ready to be loaded with ice melting material, but workers have not put any salt or sand in them.
A crew will be on hand Saturday morning for Fayetteville’s Rotary Christmas Parade. Walls said those employees will adjust their plans and load the trucks if necessary.
Bill Hammond with the North Carolina Department of Transportation said some of his co-workers in Cumberland County loaded several spreader trucks Friday. They do not plan to put anything on the roads before the storm.
Hammond said rain will likely wash away any salt or sand, so it would be wasteful to use it at this time.
A small staff of North Carolina Department of Transportation workers will be on hand overnight just in case the forecast changes.
In this area hit hard by hurricanes this fall, people are hopeful they will avoid another round of severe storms.
“If we can keep this to just water falling, of course that would be best for everybody,” Fayetteville Police Sgt. Shawn Strepay said. “We keep watching the forecast just like everybody else and the line does keep changing slightly, so it’s always a good idea to be prepared.”
Strepay said the department doesn’t anticipate closing roads, but if they do, it is because the conditions are so dangerous that first responders would be at risk trying to rescue someone stranded in those areas.
Fayetteville fleet and services coordinator David Campbell supervised some streets division drivers who worked Friday on slow plow inspections. He said people on the road can help those who are tasked with clearing the pavement.
“Any time you see a snow plow approaching you, make sure you try to stay out of the way,” Campbell said. “You want to try to avoid being next to the unit so that the sand on the back, it sometimes contains rocks and we don’t want those flying out into windshields.”
He said the most common problem for plow drivers is pedestrians trying to cross near the trucks.
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Another issue comes from people who stop on streets.
“Leaving stalled vehicles in the roadway. If you can get your car out of the area, especially in residential areas, do,” Campbell said. “Try to park your cars in the driveway rather than out in the street so that the snow plow drivers can get through there. On this truck particularly, the snow plows are 10 foot wide, so that makes it a little difficult to get through some of the neighborhoods.”
Fayetteville’s Rotary Christmas Parade is Saturday. The city will have a streets division crew available for that, and those workers will be ready to load spreader trucks if necessary.
