Tuesday, January 16, 2024–7:50 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The rain has ended, but temperatures are continuing to fall.
As of 7 a.m., no issues had been reported on Rome and Floyd County roads, but Floyd County Emergency Management Agency Director Tim Herrington said crews remain on standby.
“What we are going to be looking at right now is the roads,” he said. “As far as the temperatures dropping, we are below freezing and we are not expected to rise above freezing until sometime Wednesday afternoon. It’s going to be a long process as far as keeping the roads cleared and dealing with icy patches as they occur. We’ve got the Georgia Department of Transportation, City of Rome Public Works, and Floyd County Public Works that are going to be out addressing any road conditions that arise, especially on bridges and overpasses.”
Even as officials keep an eye on the roads, preparations are being made for the extreme cold that is headed our way.
“We are not expected to get above freezing at all today and even lower tonight,” Herrington said. “We still have that arctic wind chill that is going to be coming in later this morning as well. So, our temperatures are going to start dipping down, especially tonight, we are going to get into a dangerous temperature level. So, we are going to be coordinating some warming shelters and coordinating with the Salvation Army and the Open Door Home to make sure we have places for people to go tonight with the frigid temperatures that we are expecting, and possibly some warming shelters for the daytime hours as well.”
Garden Lakes Baptist Church will be open as an overnight warming shelter on Tuesday and Wednesday night from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.
Other warming shelters include:
-The Davies men’s shelter. Please call (706) 512-1152
-The Davies women’s shelter. Please call (706) 802-6300
-The Fielder Center at 1598 East 16th Street from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
-Renovation Church at 13 Redmond Court from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
-Westminster Presbyterian Church at 1941 Shorter Avenue (open Friday and Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
