Road issues – 2/24/19

Posted on by Joe Legge

Be Advised: Travel along State Highway 136 is currently down to one lane on the LaFayette side going up the mountain toward Villanow. Drive with caution in this area. Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Department of Transportation are reviewing the issue.

Updated at 4:05 p.m. – West Cove Road is now open following a temporary road repair. Use caution in the 8100 block.

Updated at 3:30 p.m. – One lane is now open.

One lane of West Cove Road is temporarily closed between Captain Wood Road and Hog Jowl Road. A culvert near the Cross Farm needs repaired following all the rain.

Two Hikers Rescued from Swift Moving Water in Walker County

Posted on by Joe Legge

Villanow, GA – First responders in Walker County rescued two men this morning trapped by the swift moving waters of East Armuchee Creek.

Firefighters with Walker County Fire Rescue and the Georgia Department of Corrections, along with deputies from the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a call for help at 8:49 a.m. coming from the Chattahoochee National Forest.  Emergency crews arrived to find two men stranded by rising water near Manning Mill Road and East Armchuee Road.

Firefighters set up a high line cable system across the creek and attached to it using a quick release rescue vest.  Additional rescuers were positioned upstream to spot debris and downstream in the event a secondary rescue was needed.  Rescuers then pulled the two hikers across the water to safety.  No injuries occurred during the rescue, which took about 55 minutes to complete.

The two men had gone hiking Tuesday with the intent of leaving the forest before sundown.  They attempted to cross the creek in their truck last night, but deemed it unsafe.  Due to spotty cell service in the area, they were unable to call for help until this morning.

Walker County Partners with SirenGPS for Community Notification System

Posted on by Joe Legge

LaFayette, GA – Walker County has a new and improved method for the public to receive emergency and community notifications.  The SirenGPS app can send push notifications to smartphones in a matter of seconds, keeping residents alerted to bad weather and other community concerns or interests.

“While our primary use of this notification system will be for emergency situations, we also have the capability to geofence or draw a map around a certain area that will only notify folks in that area of things like a water outage, power outage or road closure,” said Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Blake Hodge.

SirenGPS will only send residents who sign-up for the free service one alert, so if they receive the push notification from the app, the system will check them off as being notified.  60 seconds later, SirenGPS will send out text messages to those who still need to be notified.  60 seconds after that, anyone still in need of an alert will get a phone call.

Chief Hodge added, “We’re concentrating on trying to limit landline usage because our infrastructure can cause a delay of more than an hour if everyone in the county were to receive a phone call.  So this new delivery, with an app push notification, is going to be key to the success of this notification system.”

SirenGPS immediately replaces Walker County’s Hyper-Reach notification system.  Residents are urged to download the free SirenGPS app, which is available for Apple and Android devices.  Those who do not have a smartphone and wish to receive a text or phone call should contact Tina in the Walker County Commissioner’s Office at 706-638-1437 or register online secure.sirengps.com//register.

http://walkercountyga.gov/tag/podcast/feed/

1/29/19 Winter Storm Impact on Walker County

Posted on by Joe Legge

Updated 6:15 p.m. (1/29/19)

All Walker County Government offices, Landfill, Animal Shelter, Courthouses, and Health Department will be back to normal operating hours on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.  

11:15 a.m. (1/29/19)

Our Public Works crews are still out. Their main concern right now is bridges that have not dried yet.

 
Now that the temperature has dropped into the 20’s, if you encounter something on the roadway that looks like a puddle, treat it as black ice.

Updated 8:15 a.m. (1/29/19)

Snow Plow in Walker County

Our Public Works crews report no major road issues at this moment. If you choose to travel today, be extra cautious as you may encounter black ice, especially if temperatures continue to drop today.

Updated: 3:50 p.m. (1/28/19)

Snow PlowAll Walker County Government Offices, including the Landfill, Animal Shelter, Health Department & Courthouses will be closed Tuesday, January 29th.

Public Works crews spent the day preparing for winter weather. Spreaders have been added to our trucks to treat roads with a sand/salt mixture. Our team will be ready to roll once the first flake falls, but residents are advised to avoid any unnecessary travel Tuesday.

Updated 2:30 p.m. (1/28/19)

winter storm watch 2

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 7 PM EST TUESDAY…

* WHAT…Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.
Locally higher amounts are possible along the ridge tops. In
addition, any moisture left on the roadways, especially in
sheltered or protected areas will likely refreeze, increasing
the potential for black ice development.

* WHERE…Mainly along and north of a line from Rome to Jasper to
Cleveland.

* WHEN…From 3 AM to 7 PM EST Tuesday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Travel could be very difficult. The
hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening
commute.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Winter Storm Warning for snow means severe winter weather
conditions will make travel very hazardous or impossible. If you
must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your
vehicle in case of an emergency.

Updated 12:15 p.m. (1/28/19)

Updated 8:30 a.m. (1/28/19)

Walker Transit will be closed all day on Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 due to the potential for inclement weather.

https://walkercountyga.gov/residents/walker-transit/

Updated: 7:00 a.m. (1/28/19)

winter storm watch 1-29-19

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Walker County from 4:00 a.m. Tuesday until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday.

A strong cold front will bring the potential for accumulating snow Tuesday. Patchy black ice will be possible even in areas that receive little or no snow.

List of Roads with Water Concerns (12/28/18)

Posted on by Joe Legge

Last updated 1:15 p.m.

  • REO Road: 100-300 block has standing water in the road. Road is passable
  • REO Road: about halfway between 201 and 136 has water over the road. It is still passable
  • Smith Gap Road: about 1/4 mile from W. Armuchee has standing water approximately 18″ deep and is impassible
  • 7900 block of West Cove Road – down to one lane

 

Updated 10:15 a.m.

Currently there are no roads that are impassable, but many do have standing water and may become flooded over time. Use extreme caution when traveling in these areas.
  • Allgood Road at Mtn. View Circle – Standing water
  • Chattanooga Valley Road at the south entrance to East Avenue – Standing water
  • Luwanna Drive – 2-3 inches of water across the roadway
  • 100 Blk of Lytle Road to West Garden Farm – Standing water
  • Lytle Road at Younes Drive (Hwy 27 underpass) – Standing water
  • Lytle Road between the railroad crossings – Standing water
  • Lytle Road at North Long Hollow Road – Standing water
  • Osburn Road at Gassett Drive – Standing water
  • 780 Bell Road – Standing water
  • 825 Guy Williams Road – Standing water
  • 576 W Reed Road – Standing water
  • Old Dollar General at Kay Conley Road – Standing water
  • 2292 Kay Conley Road – Standing water
  • 1000 Roy Bird Road – Standing water
  • Mission Ridge Road at Food City – One lane is flooded
  • N Hwy 341 at Station 5 – Both lanes are flooded but are still passable
  • N Hwy 341 north of Station 5 – both lanes are flooded but are still passable
  • Old Lafayette Road at Farming Rock – One lane flooded with one lane passable
  • 1156 Bronco Road – Standing water
  • 1681 Bronco Road – One lane flooded with one lane passable
  • Agnew Road at Hammond Mill Road – Standing water
  • 8300 Blk of W Hwy 337 – Standing water in one lane
  • E Broomtown Road at Martindale Road – Standing water in one lane
  • Ridgeway Road at Walnut Grove Road – Standing water
  • 1400 Blk to 1700 Blk of W Cove Road – Standing water
  • Lake Ridge Road – Standing water
  • Andrews Lane – Standing water
  • 500 Blk to 200 Blk of Hog Jowl Road – Standing water
  • Boss Road – Standing water
  • Twin Lakes Road – Standing water

Walker County Hosts Storm Spotter Training on May 1st

Posted on by Joe Legge

LaFayette, GA – Walker County wants to grow the number of storm spotters in north Georgia.  The county’s Emergency Management Agency will join forces with its counterpart in Dade County and the National Weather Service (NWS) to host a free SKYWARN Storm Spotter training class on May 1st.

The class is open to anyone in the public with an interest in weather. Amateur radio operators, boaters, public utility workers and police, fire and EMS personnel are also encouraged to attend.

Training topics include basic radar interpretation, identifying storm features and how to report storm information.  These and other skills help ensure the community receives timely and accurate severe weather announcements.

The NWS recently recognized Walker County as a StormReady County, acknowledging local efforts to reach a high level of severe weather preparedness.  A strong base of volunteer storm spotters provides forecasters with an important tool used to fill in gaps undetected by technology.

SKYWARN training will take place at the Walker County Civic Center, located at 10052 Highway 27 in Rock Spring at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1st.  Since this event is open to the public, registration is not necessary.

Walker County Earns StormReady Designation

Posted on by Joe Legge

The National Weather Service (NWS) has recognized Walker County as a StormReady County, acknowledging local efforts to reach a high level of severe weather preparedness.

In order to earn the StormReady designation, Walker County had to meet certain criteria established by the NWS, state and local emergency management officials.  An Emergency Operations Center, the ability to monitor local weather and river conditions, having multiple ways to alert the public, and trained storm spotters were among the standards required.

The StormReady label provides an expectation that warnings issued by the NWS will be communicated by local emergency management to the public, giving people a chance to respond.

One of the resources Walker County uses to alert the public about severe weather is the Hyper Reach Community Alert System.  Those who subscribe can choose to receive weather alerts by phone call, text message or email. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of this free service by signing up at walkercountyga.gov/alert or by calling 706-638-1437 and ask to be added to the list.

Walker County plans to continue to grow its base of storm spotters.  The county will host a course on what to look for to provide the community with timely and accurate severe weather reports.  Volunteers interested in becoming storm spotters or who need additional training should mark May 1st on their calendar. Additional details, such as a location and time for the course, will be announced in later this month.

Get Weather Alerts Directly from Walker County

Posted on by Joe Legge

LaFayette, GA – The threat of severe storms remains a possibility this time of year, as we transition from winter to spring.  Since the conditions outside can change quickly, Walker County provides a phone and email notification system to the public.

Hyper-Reach sends out weather and community alerts to those who subscribe to this free service.  Many residents signed up for Hyper-Reach last summer, prior to a system wide test on August 1st.

If you are interested in receiving weather and community alerts, register online or call the the Walker County Commissioner’s Office at 706-638-1437 and ask to be added to the Hyper-Reach list.