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Harvey County leaders praise coordinated response after Jan. ice storm
Summary
County emergency management, dispatch and road crews described a coordinated response to a winter ice event Jan. 4–6, saying pre-treatment and interagency communications limited damage and kept most roads passable.
Harvey County officials credited advance planning and coordinated operations for limiting harm during an ice-and-freezing-precipitation event over the Jan. 4–6 weekend.
“Yet again, this was another great team effort that we've seen here in Harvey County,” said Mike Anderson, Harvey County Emergency Management, telling the commission the Emergency Operations Center was on standby from Saturday at 8 a.m. until Monday at 8 p.m. He said the county built remote activation plans to handle the possibility of concurrent travel and power interruptions.
The county’s 911 and dispatch center logged a higher volume of phone calls and weather-related reports while overall CAD call volume fell, Director of Communications Don Brewer said. Brewer reported a 25% increase in phone calls and a 31% jump in administrative calls during the storm window; weather-related incidents such as disabled vehicles, vehicles in ditches, and slip-and-fall responses rose.
Road and Bridge Director Jim (last name not specified) said crews pretreated pavement with brine on Jan. 2 and again before freezing rain on Jan. 4. Between Jan. 2 and Jan. 6 crews applied about 13,000 gallons of brine and 209.32 tons of salt, traveled 3,266 miles and logged roughly 254 man-hours. “We preempted that ice. We might have looked foolish out there spreading salt before any precip, but it paid off,” he told the commission.
Staffing and equipment stresses were noted. Brewer said some dispatch personnel were unable to return home after shifts and were sheltered at the EOC; Sidewinder EMS (noted in the report) resumed operations Jan. 1 and took four calls over the weekend. Jim said a slide incident put one truck out of service for hours and left about 11 miles unplowed; otherwise, he said, crews completed planned routes.
Rexhawn, the county noxious-weed director, reported his department lent an ATV unit to courthouse maintenance and deferred nonessential travel for staff who were advised to remain home. He said courthouse lots were cleared and crews applied ice melt where needed.
Commissioners praised the response and suggested small employee recognitions, such as providing pizzas for crews who worked extended shifts. No formal commission action was taken; the meeting record shows department updates and gratitude for interagency cooperation.
