LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Emily Fay spends a great deal of time in the command center for Lexington Emergency Management.
"You can never be too prepared and you can never stop being ready," Fay said.
According to Lexington's Emergency Management Public Information Officer, Be Ready Lexington received 48 calls in January for emergency requests. She is ready to respond after the most recent snow hit Lexington.
"If we open up the EOC, or even if we're just monitoring, we're keeping an eye of what the city might need, what residents may need, and making sure they get the help they need when they need it," Fay noted.
It's Rob Allen's job to lead a team monitoring snow and ice trouble spots. Lower-ranked roads are now a major area of focus.
"We're getting into the neighborhoods. Unfortunately with the amount of snow we got, we had to start all over this morning when it finally quit with the major roads," Allen, Lexington's Director of Streets and Roads, added.
As Allen puts it, crews are out doing their best trying to take care of 22 snow routes across Fayette County battling extremely cold temperatures.
"Physically it's very hard on the staff," Allen said. Add in sub-zero wind chills, and it's a grueling task.
"You almost have to do the Alaska drill where you do 15 minutes outside and then 15 minutes in the truck trying to get things done," Allen noted.
Dakota Norris whose lived in Lexington four years, describes his experience dealing with the elements.
"It's really cold...I got two kids myself. We're struggling to keep the heat warm, the heat's going out on us, so it's been a tough winter for sure," Norris said.
Harsh conditions are expected to continue overnight.
