["Your County Matters!" Main Menu] [Oswego County Homepage]

As we begin the winter months, Oswego County is not only snow ready, but storm ready as well.

The Oswego County Department of Public Works was spotlighted in the September issue of American City and County magazine, which carried a special report on "Snow and Ice Control."

The article described the highway department's efforts to keep roads plowed and open during the heavy January 2004 storm that dropped 84 inches of snow in Parish and over 70 inches of snow elsewhere in the county. The storm averaged over six inches of snow an hour at its peak. The article noted that 80 county public works employees were on the road around the clock for five days to keep up with the storm. Also spotlighted in the special report were Multnomah County, Oregon and Calhoun, South Carolina.

As county plowing crews begin their annual effort to keep our roads safe and accessible for driving, they offer the following suggestions for a safe winter:

• Snowplows travel only about 30 miles an hour, because of the weight of the snow and the operation of the wing blades. Even though drivers and plow operators sit high above the road, they do not have any better visibility than the average driver of a car, especially during a whiteout. Avoid passing a snowplow.
• Children love to dig tunnels in the high snow banks. To avoid any accidents, do not allow your children to build tunnels near the side of the road. Make sure that tunnel entrances and exits are away from the road.
• When plowing your driveway, push the snow to the right of your driveway. Snowplows always plow to the right. If you snow blow or shovel the snow off to the right side, you won't have all the snow pushed back into your driveway again when the plow drives by.
• If you have a fancy mailbox, remove it for the winter months and replace it with less expensive version.

Oswego County has also been designated a "Storm Ready" community by the National Weather Service. The Storm Ready designation recognizes our county's efforts to take a positive, pro-active approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness. It's a nationwide program to help communities better protect their citizens during severe weather emergencies.

The National Weather Service has approved the county's plans and procedures to handle severe weather and flooding threats. The National Weather Service reviewed and evaluated county operations that include:

• Establishing a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center,
• Having more than one way to receive severe storm warnings and forecasts to alert the public and,
• Developing a formal hazardous weather plan that includes training weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

The Oswego County Emergency Management Office, RACES amateur radio operators and the county E-911 Office worked closely together to meet the required criteria for this designation. RACES volunteers first brought the idea to county officials.

Oswego County's workforce has a long history of going the extra mile to serve the public during times of need - whether it's working around the clock to keep the roads open during a blizzard, or pulling together to plan for severe weather and other types of emergencies. Their dedication and willingness to work together for the public good is an asset that we can all be proud of.