CALHOUN COUNTY, Mich. — Parts of West Michigan are bracing for an ice storm.
Durk Dunham, Calhoun County’s emergency management director, said ice storms are worse than snow storms. Compared to snow, he said drivers have much less control on ice. That’s why he urges everyone to stay off the roads and reschedule any travel or shopping plans.
FOX 17 spotted salt trucks on the roads for various counties. Dunham said a mixture of salt and sand are being poured by Calhoun County road crews.
Calhoun County Central Dispatch reports wired are down in the area and there have been slide-offs.
Brenda Reed works in the elements delivering mail.
“If this freezes over… it’s terrible driving,” she said.
Saturday, she was on her route in Battle Creek. FOX 17 wanted to know what it’s like braving the snow and freezing rain (ice).
“It’s very hard to walk, it’s slippery,” she said she’s fallen before.
“Is is, it is pretty painful,” she described.
She said postal workers just have to take extra precaution in wintry conditions. She adds that help from property owners and businesses can go a long way. If your mailbox is at the curb, clearing the snow around it helps their mail truck avoid getting stuck.
More importantly, a walkway or steps leading to a mailbox may go unused by a resident, but they’re often used by mail carriers.
“People might shovel right by their mailbox, but [it helps] to realize [postal workers] have to walk up to that mailbox,” she said. “So if they would shovel us a path that would be very nice.”
Dunham said the ice storm advisory for Calhoun County is in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday.
