Preparing for incoming winter storm

ROCHESTER, Ind.—Clear, calm and mild are words describing the winter, that hasn’t quite looked like a winter at all in Fulton County.

“It’s been pretty mild. We haven’t had a lot of snow it’s been nice, the roads are always clear here,” Rochester resident Corinna Linback said.

“So far this year we’ve been fortunate except one time with ice this past week,” Rochester resident Linda Baldwin said.

“Actually, we haven’t even put our front plows on any of the trucks yet this winter,” Fulton County Highway Department Superintendent John Grier said.

Just as the leftover snow from the last small winter storm is beginning to melt away, Fulton County Highway Department officials are expecting for that all to change this weekend. In anticipation of a heavy snowfall, plow trucks are getting an early start to prep.

“So far we’ve set up all the trucks or are getting all the trucks set up. They’re all fueled up, loaded with salt and sand, we’re putting the big front plows on and our guys that live out in the country remotely from here, they’re allowed to take the trucks home so that way they can take off from home,” Grier said.

15 drivers will take to the roads this weekend in Fulton, each covering around 90 miles of road in different areas around the county to make sure everywhere is cleared out.

“Well we do try to get every road when we do have an event, we do try to get every road before we call it quits for the day,” Grier said.

You’d think it’d be harder for a county with relatively fewer resources to keep up, but those living here tell me crews actually do a great job!

“I think they do excellent! Now where they’ll get problems is maybe really remote areas where they can’t get to it as quick, I mean they only have so many people and so many hours so they’re going to get to the main roads first,” Baldwin said.

“I feel like they do a wonderful job I’ve never not been able to get out, I do live downtown area but yeah I feel like they do a great job,” Linback said.

Highway officials, urging everyone whether it’s a small or large downfall, to be cautious and drive safely.

“It’s the first storm of the season really and that’s usually the one where people have the most accidents so just, everyone need to remember how to drive in snow,” Grier said.