MANSFIELD — Every December, Perry Como returns to the airwaves to croon about holiday highway gridlock.
I met a man who lives in Tennessee, he was a headin’ for,
Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie!
From Pennsylvania folks are travellin’
Down the Dixie sunny shore,
From Atlantic to Pacific,
Gee the traffic is terrific!
AAA estimates 112.7 million people will journey 50 miles or more away from home from December 23 to January 2.
But for Midwesterners, slick road conditions may be a greater concern than traffic.
One way to stay up-to-date on road conditions in Richland County is to watch for snow emergency announcements.
The Ohio Attorney General’s office grants county sheriffs the authority to declare a snow emergency and temporarily close county, township, state and municipal roads. Snow emergencies are issued with three degrees of severity.
LEVEL 1 means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously.
LEVEL 2 means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Motorists should use extreme caution.
LEVEL 3 means all roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.
Capt. Donald Zehner of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said the agency communicates daily with other entities to keep up-to-date on road conditions across Richland County.
“There’s a lot of communication between the sheriff’s office, state highway patrol, Mansfield Police Department and (Richland County) Emergency Management Agency,” Zehner said.
The sheriff’s office sometimes consults with other law enforcement agencies and school superintendents to get more information on local conditions.
“We are a very unique county. It can be blue skies and sunshine in Lexington and a blizzard in Plymouth,” Zehner said.
Although road conditions can vary across municipalities, snow emergency levels can be a helpful tool. Zehner said levels one and two are mostly informational. Only level three, which orders roadways closed to all non-emergency vehicles, is enforced by local law enforcement.
“I believe the sheriff has only gone to level three once in 18 years,” he said.
Zehner said residents should check local media outlets or call 211 to find information on current emergency levels. He asked residents not to call 911 or the sheriff’s office unless there is an emergency.
“People will call us and ask if they should drive into work,” he said. “Don’t call us, call your employer.”
Residents can sign up for weather and other emergency alerts at the Richland County Notification System web page.
Information on snow emergency alerts and other resources will also be posted on the Richland County EMA Facebook page and Twitter page.
