Mounds of road salt stood in trucks lined up outside the Omaha city maintenance garages Wednesday, as crews here mobilized for a freezing winter storm.
“As soon as it turns to ice, you've got the entire roadway system to deal with and you're playing catch up when it freezes,” said street maintenance engineer Austin Rowser.
Rouser said unlike previous snowstorms, the city would not be pre-treating city streets with a salty brine solution, saying rain expected before the freeze would wash it away. Instead crews would be playing a game of “catch-up” after the freeze.
He said workers would begin coming in at Noon on Thanksgiving Day, but expected a full staff of 100 workers and contractors on the streets by 4 p.m.
As Rouser talked about city preparations, across town, AAA Nebraska spokesperson Rose White stood by a table filled with winter gear.
“It’s always advisable to have a good ice scraper. A long handled brush is the one we recommend,” White said, “[Have] blankets, socks, gloves, hats—those things that will protect extremities because those parts are more prone to frostbite.”
White urged travelers to pack extra warm gear and winter survival kits.
Winter weather could bring treacherous conditions to parts of the Midwest throughout the holiday weekend.
At Eppley Wednesday night, flights remained on time, as travelers lined ticket counters and moved through TSA checkpoints.
