Jan

21

Major Winter Storm Headed Our Way – Be Prepared for Rain and Wind

Filed Under Uncategorized 

FLORENCE – A major winter storm heading west from California is beginning to make its entrance into central Arizona.

Pinal County residents should be prepared for one to three inches of rain in the next 12 to 24 hours with high winds in excess of 70 miles per hour that may accompany the storm.

Pinal County Emergency Manager, Lou Miranda, said that his department is working with local jurisdictions along with state and tribal authorities to prepare for any damage the storm might bring.

“Taking direction from our Board of Supervisors, we have deployed local assets. Many fire departments have sand bags if residents find they need them, we are also bringing in more sand bags just in case,” Miranda said. “From our Emergency Operations Center, we are monitoring rain and flood gauges along our washes. Briefings from the National Weather Service and monitoring the Weather Service website are allowing us to gather updated storm information. We have also been in contact with the Red Cross to stand by if we need shelter operations. In addition, we have contacted our special needs populations – nursing and group homes and the like – to see if they need assistance.”

Miranda offered this these tips for storm preparation:

* Stay indoors – only travel if absolutely necessary
* Pick up or secure any items that may blow around in the high winds, such as trash cans, toys, bicycles, lawn furniture and outdoor barbeques
* Avoid downed power lines
* Obey all traffic signals and never go around barricades
* If you have a battery powered radio, keep it nearby for emergency instructions
* Have flashlights ready in case the power goes out
* Never, never drive into a flooded area. Even if you know the area, you cannot tell how deep the water is, what dangers may lurk underneath or how fast the current is moving.
* Reduce your speed so you can react and avoid road debris or emergency situations. Do not use cruise control.
* Avoid driving through large puddles. Hidden debris could damage your tires, you could lose control of the vehicle or water could splash up into your engine compartment causing serious problems.
* If your wipers are on, your headlights should be on, too.
* If you have to stop, pull off the road and turn everything off so other drivers don’t mistake you for the lane of traffic.

As of 5:00 pm, Pinal County has two roads closed: Sliver King Road in the Queen Valley area, Centurion Lane in Riverside along with Henness and Battaglia Roads in Arizona City. For more road closure information please contact Pinal County’s Road Closure hotline at 520-866-6078.

There will be more information once it becomes available.

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-Pinal County Press Release

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