Inclement weather preparation update

Blount County, Tennessee – Everyone likely knows by now that East Tennessee is in the crosshairs of a major winter weather system beginning overnight Friday night through Sunday evening, but whether it arrives in Blount County in the form of snow, sleet, freezing rain, or all of the above, Sheriff James Lee Berrong wants you to be prepared for hazardous conditions extending through the weekend and possibly into early next week. Early preparations can help improve the impact of the storm on you and your family. Please consider the following suggestions to help you weather the storm:

• Have emergency supplies readily available, including food, water, medications, and essential items.
• Make sure you have ways to receive weather alerts, warnings, and emergency notifications.
• Adhere to guidance from the Sheriff’s Office and other first responder agencies in Blount County. We will do our best to keep citizens updated throughout the weekend about the system’s impacts on our roadways and other infrastructure. We will send out updates on the Sheriff’s App – downloadable at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blount-county-sheriff-tn/id6468677126 for iOS users and https://play.google.com/store/search?q=blount+county+sheriff+s+office&c=apps&hl=en_US for Android users.
•  Remain vigilant, stay informed, and check in on family members, neighbors, and friends, especially those who may need additional assistance.

Our deputies will be hard at work patrolling the roadways and responding to calls for service during the storm, but depending on road conditions, it may take deputies longer to arrive. If you are involved in a minor, non-injury accident, deputies may not be able to respond immediately if call volume is high. Also keep in mind that tow services may be overloaded with service calls and may not be able to respond to tow your vehicle right away. Please make sure you have an emergency kit in your vehicle and include extra coat, blankets, and water in case you are stranded.

There are also instances when we will ask the Blount County Highway Department to barricade roadways that become too treacherous for travel. PLEASE DO NOT BYPASS THE BARRICADES!

Whether the precipitation arrives in the form of sleet, freezing rain, or snow, you can count on slick conditions on our roads, especially on the less traveled two-lane roads in the county. If you don’t have a really good reason to travel this weekend, please stay home.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service advised Blount County is under a Winter Storm Watch from late Friday night through Sunday evening with possible power outages, and tree damage due to ice. Please stay vigilant and be prepared! We will keep you updated on conditions in Blount County throughout the weekend.