As a potentially significant winter storm approaches, officials across the region are strongly advising residents to avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary. Dan Keashen, Camden County's public affairs director, emphasized that safety is the top priority. "We're looking for people to not put themselves in harm's way; safety is paramount here. We want people to stick it out at home," he stated.
Road crews are currently stretched thin, still recovering from last weekend's storm while gearing up for the upcoming weather event. On Tuesday, several truckloads of salt were delivered to public works facilities in Camden County, ensuring that the county's 1,200 lane miles are adequately covered. Officials anticipate using up to 2,500 tons of salt, with around 100 trucks ready to deploy during the storm. "Right now, we just got eight shipments of salt, eight truckloads just dropped off into our salt dome," Keashen added. "It's gonna be an all-hands-on-deck situation."
To prepare for the storm, vacations have been canceled and every member of the public works department, along with the parks department and several other county agencies, will be ready to assist. Their goal is to plow, treat roads, and shovel sidewalks promptly to ensure that county services can resume quickly after the snow stops falling.
Officials continue to urge anyone who must travel to maintain a safe distance from plow trucks, especially when encountering convoys. As of now, local school districts have not made any announcements regarding closures or delays in response to the storm.
According to meteorologist Cecily Tynan, the winter storm will impact a vast area, stretching from New Mexico to the East Coast. "We're talking about more than 2,000 miles being affected, more than two dozen states. This is not a localized storm," she warned in an update on Wednesday afternoon. The storm is projected to move into our region overnight from Saturday to Sunday, with Sunday poised to be the peak of the storm.
Current forecasts suggest there is a 55% chance that this could develop into a major winter storm, potentially bringing 6 to 10 inches of snow across the viewing area. Tynan also noted a 25% chance that snowfall could exceed ten inches, although the storm remains out over the Pacific as of now. For the latest updates on the forecast, residents can visit 6abc.com/weather.
As the anticipated winter storm approaches, local shoppers looking for ice-melting materials may find themselves racing against time, as supplies are dwindling amid high demand nationwide. Hardware stores in the area report limited inventories of rock salt and other ice-melt products, a situation exacerbated by widespread demand.
At Killian Hardware in Chestnut Hill, owner Russell Goudy mentioned that his store has managed to hold up for now with a recent delivery. "We expect, though, that it's probably going to sell out within the next day or two," Goudy said. He also noted that customers may have better luck finding pet-friendly ice melt if they are flexible in their choices, although these products are also becoming harder to procure.
In Roxborough, Mark Jaconski, owner of Stanley's Hardware, shared that demand has been challenging to keep up with as preparations for winter weather escalate. "As quickly as we get pallets unloaded on the sidewalk, it leaves. In 15 minutes, a pallet is gone," he said. The surge in demand extends beyond just ice-melt products; shovels have also been particularly hard to keep in stock. "I started with probably 500 shovels in stock. I have replaced probably 500, and right now my racks are empty until tomorrow," Jaconski explained.
Some customers expressed their frustration at finding limited supplies at local hardware stores. "I am so surprised, I thought they definitely had salt. I mean, they're like a neighborhood hardware store," said Sandy Hartwig of Roxborough. Similarly, Ralph Pinkus of Mt. Airy noted concern over his own dwindling supply: "I have one little bag left, and if there is a big snowstorm, I am out of luck."
In response to the overwhelming demand, Stanley's Hardware has implemented a two-bag-per-customer limit and is hopeful about receiving additional inventory soon.