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It has been a winter storm like no other for the Chattahoochee Valley. Emergency services are still dealing with the fallout from yesterday’s snow and freeze. The travel advisory is still in place and roads are considered impassable in Chambers County. 

“We use [a travel advisory] only when we’re trying to communicate the blanket condition of our roads…that means conditions have warranted such that the only people that need to be on our roads at that time would be emergency responders,” said Josh Harvill, the County Engineer and head of the Highway Department. 

The decision is made with state and community partners, including Chambers County EMA, the Sheriff’s Office and the Highway Department. 

“Mainly it’s made based on the condition of our county routes,” Harvill said. “We made that decision yesterday. Generally between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. central time…the northwestern part of our county, wasn’t nearly as impacted like the southeastern part of the county was, but we felt that based on our ability to communicate with our crews across the whole county…it was a systemwide condition that warranted it.”

Harvill said there is not currently a timeline for the resumption of travel. 

“The period of time that it is forecasted to get above freezing is such a short span,” Harvill explained, saying the roadways are unlikely to thaw completely on Wednesday. “And then when it does, your sun angle is already starting to lower.”

The Highway Department has begun sanding the roads to improve traction. The sanding is only for specific hazardous areas, such as hills and curves, and to aid emergency vehicles. Harvill stresses that even though certain areas are sanded, travel for commuters is still not advised. 

“The sand is working good where we put it out. We don’t have enough sand or the equipment to put it on full roadway widths on all our roads,” Harvill said. “So we’re being very selective, working on our critical routes that connect, the hospital, emergency responders, [etc].”

The long-term damage to county roads is still unknown. 

“I can’t remember an event in my career, maybe not even in my lifetime, where it was snowing at 25 degrees followed by a 12-degree night,” Harvill said. “That’s the unusual thing, for an Alabama event that we’re dealing with, we’ve got all this snow on the road…it’s gonna be cold for the foreseeable future. I really don’t know what that long-term effect will be on our roads.” 

Harvill said the state and local agencies are out working and asks residents to assist them by avoiding travel.

“At this point in time, the worst thing that can happen is for someone to get out there on the road, who doesn’t have the proper vehicle, or isn’t cautious enough, then they have an accident. And then what that does is it keeps us from being able to navigate our roads…they have an accident or stall in a curve that we’re trying to treat, now we can’t treat it effectively because of the accident.” 

For those who absolutely need to drive, he asks to be incredibly cautious and use four-wheel drive. 

“Think through how you need to drive in conditions like this. Expect the unexpected,” Harvill advises. “If you don’t have all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, try to carpool. Maybe someone that is going to work, has access to a vehicle. [But], try to stay off the road.