With a variety of forecasts all calling for freezing temperatures and the potential for snow next week, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) urges the traveling public to get ready for winter this weekend.
PBOT crews will report to work on Sunday, to get equipment prepared for snow and ice response. Low temperatures could create slick conditions Sunday night at high elevations in the West Hills or East Portland. Snow or other winter precipitation could affect road and sidewalk conditions from Monday through Friday.
The public should be ready for the potential to telecommute or rely on public transit next week. The time to prepare yourself and your family is NOW!
While the forecast is still unclear, there are some simple things all Portlanders can do to prepare themselves for winter weather.
• Make a checklist for your home, business, and/or vehicle. Property owners, tenants and businesses should have supplies on hand, such as ice melt and snow shovels to clear sidewalks as well as pathways across their driveways.
• Everyone driving in Portland should carry snow chains and an emergency kit in their vehicle all winter long.
• Create an emergency plan with your family or work colleagues that emphasizes telecommuting, public transit and emergency meeting locations for your commute. Check our Winter Weather Center to see the snow and ice routes nearest you.
• Stock up on provisions such as food, water, clothes, and medications you, your family, your pets, or your business will need in case you are stranded by winter weather -- at home, or on the road in your vehicle.
• Check in with vulnerable neighbors who may need help stocking up on supplies ahead of a storm or clearing their sidewalks afterward.
• Know your elevation, and the elevation of areas you are traveling to and through. Check the interactive elevation map in the "Elevation, Weather and Traffic" section of PBOT’s Winter Weather Center to see if your area is located at 500 feet or 1,000 above sea level. Use PortlandMaps.com to look up any address in Portland and find the approximate elevation.
• Worried about water pipes at your home or business? Winterize your building with tips from the Portland Water Bureau.
Source: Portland Bureau of Transportation