Utility companies, road crews prepare to fight wintry weather

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By Ed Tibbetts | Tuesday, December 11, 2007 2:05 AM CST | () comments

Extra utility workers are on call and road crews are poised to battle a major winter ice storm expected to hit the Quad-Cities today. The approaching storm prompted a raft of cancellations and a run on salt at area hardware stores Monday.

One-half to an inch of ice is expected to accumulate on trees and power lines, forecasters said. Unlike the ice storm that struck Dec. 1, a trough of freezing temperatures is expected to keep hard surfaces ice-encrusted for quite a while.

“We have some serious weather coming in,” Alan Urlis, a spokesman for MidAmerican Energy, said Monday.

MidAmerican put 500 workers on standby and moved crews from western Iowa to the area between Iowa City and the Quad-Cities, readying them for repair work.

Meanwhile, Davenport Public Works Director Dee Bruemmer said her road crews were expecting a post-midnight call. She added the storm predictions were worrisome enough that discussions were held Monday with emergency management officials about the possibility of creating evacuation centers in the event power outages are prolonged and widespread.

“You have to have those things ready to pull out of the pocket,” she said.

One thing Davenport did do was call off solid waste pickup today. That will push collections for other residents back a day, too.

Urlis wasn’t predicting how many homes might lose power today, but he said: “When you’re talking about a half-inch or more, you’re looking at broken poles and downed power lines.”

The utility was expecting what it calls a Level 2 storm, meaning some customers who lose power may have to wait more than 24 hours to get it back.

The National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning Monday to extend until midnight tonight.

It said ice and sleet should fall throughout the day, and the storm might rival the Feb. 24, 2007, storm that left thousands of people without power in the Quad-City area.

“Once folks start to wake up in the morning, we should be right in the middle of it,” Andy Ervin, a weather service meteorologist, said.

High temperatures are expected to be in the upper 20s today, with the low heading to 18 tonight.

The weather service predicted it would get to the lower 30s Thursday.

Quad-Citians spent Monday getting ready for the storm, making a run on salt and other supplies. “They are going crazy,” said Jeff Miller, owner of Davenport’s Home Hardware.

He said customers bought 15 pallets of salt Monday, with each pallet holding about 50 bags.

“We got our last pallet in about 20 to 30 minutes ago, and it’s gone already,” he said shortly before 5 p.m.

He said the store would get more Wednesday.

The impending storm led many organizations to cancel or postpone events.

The Figge Art Museum said it would close today, while the Senior Lights Tour hosted by the Davenport Police Department was postponed until next Monday.

The ice also put a dent in the presidential campaigns.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark also was to be in the Quad-Cities on Monday to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but that was called off because of the weather.

Michelle Obama was to be in eastern Iowa campaigning for her husband today, too, but that was postponed as well.

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.

Winter weather safety tips from the Iowa DOT

Staying put may be the best bet for today, but if you do have to drive in the ice, here are a few tips from the Iowa Department of Transportation.

* If your vehicle begins to slide, take your foot off the gas pedal and shift into neutral, or if you have a manual transmission, depress the clutch. While it may be a natural instinct to slam on your brakes, this will cause your vehicle to lose control and slide even more. Tap the brake pedal lightly instead of pushing down hard on it.

* If you have an idea that there may be ice ahead or see vehicles ahead of you sliding, downshift to a lower gear before you come onto the ice. The lower gear will force you to drive more slowly and give you better control of your vehicle.

* If your vehicle does begin to skid on the ice, turn the wheel in the direction of the skid. This should help to steer your vehicle back on the right track.

* Leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the others on the road. Stay well behind the vehicle in front of you. Even if you feel confident that you know how to drive safely on ice, that

doesn’t mean the driver in front of you does. Be prepared in case other cars start to slide.

* Don’t think you’re invincible just because you drive a four-wheel drive truck or sport utility vehicle. Four-wheel drive vehicles have no advantage over other vehicles when it comes to driving on ice.

* Wear your seat belt and make sure others in your vehicle use them as well.

The Iowa DOT recommends travelers pay close attention to weather forecasts and evaluate carefully the need for travel. Log on to 511ia.org for the latest road conditions in Iowa and

gettingaroundillinois.com in Illinois or go to qctimes.com for cancellations and links to weather and travel sites.