City Braces for Next Wave of Wintry Weather Wednesday
Alexandria, La. (February 16, 2021) — With roads still covered with ice from Winter Storm Uri, city officials are preparing for another round of wintry mix precipitation Wednesday morning from Winter Storm Viola. The current forecast from the National Weather Service indicates Alexandria could get one-tenth to three-tenths of an inch of freezing rain. That much freezing rain will keep roads impassable and could lead to widespread power outages.
Due to the continuing hazardous road conditions, all city offices will be closed Wednesday. Officials are hoping road conditions will improve for full services to resume Thursday.
“Last year we had to deal with back-to-back hurricanes. Now this year we are facing back-to-back ice storms,” said Alexandria Mayor Jeff Hall. “We were fortunate with the first storm as far as the impact on our electric system. My hope is we won’t see significant outages with this next event, but we have crews standing by to restore power if we do get the levels of freezing rain the forecasters are predicting.”
Alexandria Police and Fire officials remind drivers to please stay off the roads. Due to icy conditions, emergency personnel are focused on responding to critical emergencies and may not be able to respond quickly to minor wrecks or cars stranded on the roadside. Police reported numerous cars in ditches from attempts to travel Tuesday.
Although the Alexandiria electricity system is currently stable, Utility System Director Michael Marcotte encourages residents to conserve electricity when possible due to instability in the overall power grid in the state. Areas in south Louisiana have had to implement power curtailment.
Another hard freeze is expected Tuesday night. Residents should continue to protect water pipes from freezing. “If a pipe freezes tonight and cracks, the homeowner won’t see water leaking until pipes thaw out,” Marcotte said. “We encourage residents to know where their water cutoff valve is in the event they do have a cracked pipe and they need to quickly shut water off to their home.”
With the extremely cold temperatures, Alexandria Fire Chief Larry King reminds residents to use care with space heaters or when building a fire in the fireplace. Space heaters should be placed a safe distance from curtains and other flammable materials, and fireplaces should be monitored.
Customers are reminded that when storms occur resulting in power outages they may report the outage online through the AlexConnects app. Downed wires, poles, and other equipment should be reported to (318) 473-1301. Residents are reminded to avoid downed lines as they may still be energized.
ROAD CLOSURES
The elevated portion of I-49 through the city remains closed from exit 80 to exit 94. The Gillis Long Bridge on Jackson Street also is closed. The Purple Heart Bridge Pineville Expressway as well as the Curtis-Coleman Bridge by Buhlow Lake each have a lane open but police are asking that those lanes be kept clear for first responders and emergency use.
Contact:
Jim Smilie
Communications
318.449.5038 (Office)
318.730.1683 (Cell)
jim.smilie@cityofalex.com
