City Of Oklahoma City: City Of OKC Winter Storm Situation Update #2 – Feb. 3

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City:

02/03/2022 5:34 PM

Snow and low temperatures are affecting Oklahoma City and are expected to continue through Friday. This is an update on city services and partner services for Feb. 3. 2022.

Streets

City street crews, driving more than 25 trucks affixed with salt spreaders and plows, are working around the clock. Crews start plowing the snow routes when the snow gets to 2+ inches deep. City’s snow routes until conditions improve. 

Oklahoma City has 8,500 lane miles of street. Of that, 1,238 lane miles are on snow routes. A lane mile is a mile of roadway in a single driving lane. Neighborhood streets are not part of the snow routes and will not be treated.

People are encouraged to avoid driving during hazardous conditions. If you must drive, you should have someone to call in case you are stranded. If you get stranded, try to move your car off the road so other vehicles can safely pass. 

Police

Police have stopped responding to non-injury crashes. If you are involved in a non-injury collision, simply exchange information with the other involved driver. Police will resume working non-injury crashes as soon as it is practical to do so. The police department will always respond to injury accidents. 

Courts

Municipal Court sessions have been canceled through Friday. The Court Building will stay open for business. 

Parks

All OKC golf courses, recreation centers and senior centers are closed through Friday.  Martin Park and Will Rogers Park are open, but the centers that serve them are closed. 

Homelessness

All three winter overflow locations - Homeless Alliance, City Rescue and Salvation Army - will have those beds open at least through the weekend with expanded capacity. 

ODOT

Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority crews are working around-the-clock to treat and clear highways, interstates and turnpikes statewide. Travel at this time is discouraged because of slick and hazardous conditions. Download the Drive Oklahoma mobile app which provides real-time traffic and road condition data for highways, interstates and turnpikes. 

Will Rogers World Airport

People should contact their airline to check on the status of their flight before leaving for the airport over the next few days. 

Solid Waste Services

The City postponed trash and recycling collection today and Friday. If your trash day is today, crews will come by on Saturday. If your regular trash day is on Friday, it will be collected on Sunday. 

Protecting Your Pipes

During these winter weather events, some customers choose to drip their faucets in order to prevent pipes from freezing. If you do, here are a few tips:

Outdoor water Lines

Here are some recommendations to consider when preventing outside pipe breaks:

Animal Welfare

Shelter personnel have investigated more than 20 complaints about dogs being left out in the weather without access to a doghouse. If it is too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet, so keep your animals inside. If left outdoors, pets can freeze, become disoriented, lost, stolen, injured or killed. In addition, don’t leave pets alone in a car during cold weather, as cars can act as refrigerators that hold in the cold and cause animals to freeze to death.

OGE

OG&E teams worked overnight and throughout the day to restore power to customers experiencing outages. We know that losing electricity during severe winter weather is more than inconvenient and are committed to restoring service as soon as we possibly can. Significant work is in process on the west side of the metro to reduce “galloping” which is when the combination of ice and a certain wind pattern cause lines to move up and down. We have deployed approximately 600 line workers to that area to construct additional poles and secure lines to limit the potential for future outages caused by galloping in this area.

OG&E customers can sign up for myOGEalerts and monitor the storm impact at OGE.com/outages. Customers signed up for myOGEalerts receive outage information by text, email and/or phone and can report outages by text. 

If you see any downed power lines, please remain safe and stay away from downed lines and anything they are touching. You can report downed power lines or outages by calling 800-522-6870. 

ONG

Our systems continue to perform well and they are not experiencing any operational issues or supply issues. 

EMSA

EMSA has responded to five cold exposure calls in the OKC area. It’s imperative residents dress appropriately if working/spending time outside. 

The following tips will help those outside stay warm: 

We are encouraging  all residents to stay off the roadways for non-essential travel. If you must drive, give yourself extra time, limit distractions inside your vehicle, and stay alert for sudden deterioration in weather conditions.  

Winter weather tips to help you prepare for the storm: 

Keep necessities on-hand

Items for winter storms to add to your disaster kit include additional non-perishable food and water for one or two weeks, extra blankets, coats, gloves, winter hats, and water-resistant boots. Get extra medication, oxygen or other medical supplies if it's possible you'll need a refill before the storm's effects are over. 

Turn off sprinklers

Home and business owners are asked to turn off sprinkler systems when the temperature drops below freezing to keep city streets from icing over. 

Check on your neighbors

Make sure elderly family members, friends and neighbors are prepared for the storm, and check on them during and after the storm. 

Power outages
Keep your cell phone charged in case of a power outage. Residents can report power outages at www.oge.com 

Safely Use Alternative Heating Sources

Fires at home are common in the winter because of improper use of dangerous heating sources. Here are some tips from the Fire Department:

Dress for the conditions.

Dressing in layers is key, as it not only keeps you warm but allows you to adjust to changing temperatures. Proper gloves, socks and footwear are essential. Choose headwear that keeps your head and ears warm.  Ski masks can also help to warm your neck and warm the air you’re breathing. 

Energy saving tips from ONG

Oklahoma Natural Gas encourages customers to practice simple energy-saving tips and conservation efforts to manage their winter heating bills.  

 Additionally, remember these safety tips: 

 Winter Driving

 Winter Weather Vehicle Emergency Preparedness Kit

This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.