Mount Olive prepares for snowstorm
By Brandon Davis
Published in News on January 6, 2017 9:57 AM
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News-Argus/BRANDON DAVIS
Mount Olive Police Chief Tommy Brown, left, and Maj. Linda Tyson view reports of the upcoming Winter Storm Helena on the Weather Channel. Brown said the city is prepared for whatever may happen with the snow and sleet this weekend.
MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive Police Chief Tommy Brown and the town have prepared for the weekend's snow storm.
Brown watched the weekend's forecast on the Weather Channel with Town Manager Charles Brown earlier this week to make appropriate adjustments for the upcoming snow and sleet.
The chief said he knew the pink zone touching North Carolina represented snow, but he was unaware of a hot pink zone which hovered over the state.
"I said, 'I know the pink is snow, but now what is hot pink?' He (town manager) said, ' ... a lot of snow,'" he said.
Brown said the Weather Channel predicted the snow could turn from Wayne County. His first thought was Hurricane Matthew.
The hurricane hit the county in October when weather reports said it would veer off from the state.
"We'll have the manpower to take care of whatever we need to take care of," Brown said.
The town's department of public works has placed salt on roads and is currently putting salt on side streets, he said. Brown said his department has put 4-wheel drive trucks in place at the police station if a person needs helps getting a car out of the snow or has an emergency on the road.
Brown said his department is keeping an eye on forecasts and extended forecasts throughout the next 48 hours.
"Stay in unless you absolutely, necessarily have to get out until the snow goes away," he said. "Be careful. Be attentive to other drivers as well as your actions. Just be careful."