Greenville residents woke up to a sea of white on Jan. 31, but city and police officials asked people to stay off the roads so they could get to work.
On Friday, January 30, public works crews prepared major routes, connecting streets, bridges and ramps in preparation for winter.
Snow began falling in Greenville around 8 a.m. and accumulated rapidly throughout the morning. Beth Brotherton, the city’s communications director, said on the livestream that while the snow was beautiful, officials wanted people to stay off the roads so snow plows and first responders could move quickly.
While there are no road closures listed on the city’s active closure map, a number of incidents have been posted. A road blockage was reported near Ridgecrest Drive and Wellington Avenue.
Much of the map lights up in red and orange, indicating slow traffic and stop-and-go traffic.
More: Snowfall totals are increasing across the North as the winter storm approaches. real time updates
The city encourages people to get outside and walk to view the snow so roads can stay clear for emergency crews and plow trucks. Brotherton said the city was having problems with vehicles in ditches and warned that the snow was falling quickly.
The Greenville Police Department responded to eight wrecks in 25 minutes, according to a post from the city around 11:30 a.m. GPD also posted on its Facebook page that officers will not be dispatched to single-vehicle crashes where no one was injured.
“We again urge everyone to stay off the roads as conditions are extremely unsafe,” GPD said in the post.
Greenville County communications specialist Bob Mihalic said the county will begin clearing 1,800 miles of secondary or rural roads after the snow stops. He said the county is fully staffed and equipped and ready to go.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) is also encouraging everyone to stay off the roads, but if travel is necessary, the agency is offering safe driving tips.
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Drivers should take a few minutes to heat and defrost their car before heading to their destination. This can be done by letting the heat run for a few minutes and applying a solution of one-third cup of cold water and two-thirds cup of rubbing alcohol to the window.
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Before driving in a storm, make sure your car’s battery, wipers, tires, brakes, heater, defroster and lights are in good condition.
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Reduce your driving speed, increase your following distance, avoid sudden acceleration and brake gently. If the car starts to skid, take your foot off the accelerator, drive in the direction you want the car to go, and apply the brakes lightly.
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina Legislature, state and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
This article originally appeared in The Greenville News: Police officials report crash, urge public to stay off roads