Officials: Dane Co. prepared for emergencies, outages

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – As dangerous snow and ice threaten southern Wisconsin over the next couple days, Dane Co. officials are assuring residents that they are prepared to respond to emergencies and power outages.

“Emergency management has been in contact with utilities and first responders all week, planning for anything that could occur,” Dane Co. Executive Joe Parisi said during a Wednesday morning news conference. “We hope for the best, but we always want to be prepared for anything that’s out there.”

Parisi explained the freezing rain and high winds expected increase the possibilities of power outages. As a result, emergency management is in regular contact with utilities to ensure county officials know their plans.

“It is reassuring when you see behind the scenes and that folks aren’t alone out there and that there are people watching out for them and there are contingencies in place,” Parisi continued.

Dane Co. Highway Commissioner Jerry Mandli urged drivers to be careful if they need to go somewhere while the roads are slippery. He pointed out that the recent warm spell allowed drivers to return to their normal habits and that kind of driving will not work this week.

“It’s time to slow down and use your good winter driving skills while you are out there,” he added. “Give our folks the room to do what they need to do and just be careful out there.”

Mandli warned that not only will the predicted sleet cause problems on the roads, the high winds blowing through will lead to drifting snow. With the weather creating potential risks on Dane Co. roads, Dane Co. Emergency Management Director Charlie Tubbs asked residents not to take unnecessary risks or go out when they don’t need to. Most importantly, they need to do their part to keep their community safe.

“We do need the people to step forward and do their part and as the County Executive mentioned, look out for each other and take care of each other,” he continued.

The impending winter weather forced more than 130 southern Wisconsin school districts to cancel classes for the day. While some snow and freezing rain is likely in this part of Wisconsin, the western and central part of the state could see more than a foot.

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