Whitley Co. preparing for wintry mix in midst of flooding

By: Phil Pendleton - Email

Updated: Thu 12:52 PM, Jan 17, 2013

WHITLEY COUNTY (WKYT) - First the rain, now the ice and snow! Parts of southeastern Kentucky are dealt with a wintry mix Thursday afternoon.

In an area that received more than it's fair share of rain in recent days, now residents in Whitley county are dealing with sleet and snow. The road department says they're prepared for the wintry mix. Snow plows were brought on trucks as rain made the switch to a frozen mix. County officials say they can usually have all their trucks ready to roll in half an hour.

Recently, the area has received so much rain creeks and rivers have jumped their banks, making flooding a big concern.

"We have a lot of roads under water, tiles stopping up with debris, limbs, and things like that," explains Jim Bates with the Whitley County Fiscal Court. "So we spent a lot of time going out and gauging these roads and seeing what they need. It is a good report card for us really."

Officials say they have a handful or roads under water, such as Mossy Gap and Lick Fork, but detours have allowed drivers to get around those problem areas.

County officials say they have plenty of salt to get them through the Winter season, based on what is in their salt dome.

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