by Wesley Harris
The precipitation may have passed out of the area, but its effects will linger for several days, according to local public safety officials.
Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Landon Hunt said he does not anticipate icy roads being any better Monday. “In fact, after Sunday night’s hard freeze, roadways will be in worse shape Monday morning than they were Sunday afternoon,” he said.
“We responded to many car crashes and stuck vehicles through the weekend, but I expect the roads Monday morning to be the worst we’ve faced so far,” Hunt said.
Sunday evening Hunt said, “Our office has answered 142 calls for service since midnight Friday, including stalled vehicles, traffic crashes, medical assists, and other weather-related incidents.”
Hunt said the sheriff’s office had responded to numerous crashes, including motorists who unexpectedly came upon downed trees in the roadway that were difficult to see because of the heavy sleet falling Saturday. One patrol deputy even encountered a tree in a curve and had to skid to a stop.
No serious injuries were reported in the crashes, Hunt said.
“Even ambulances have had difficulty reaching emergency calls,” Hunt said. “When a carport laden with ice collapsed on a homeowner near Dubach, an off-duty medic and a patrol deputy were first to the scene and were able to affect a rescue and apply a tourniquet to stop bleeding.”
The victim was transported to Reeves Memorial Medical Center in Bernice for treatment and was later transferred to Shreveport for observation overnight, according to the man’s family.
Lieutenant Kayla Loyd, public information officer and investigator with the Ruston Police Department, said she worked an extra shift on the street Saturday night.
“The stuck and stalled vehicles on Interstate 20 and throughout the city kept us busy,” said Loyd.
Fortunately, the city has seen minimal power outages. Two power failures Saturday were due to motorists skidding off the roadway and taking out utility poles. Another outage Sunday was blamed on a tree down on a power line.
Only about 600 customers have experienced power outages in Lincoln Parish, with thousands of customers experiencing disruptions in nearby parishes.
Police Chief Eric Watson said he worked the entire weekend in support of his officers, citing 18-wheelers with drivers unfamiliar with icy roads as one of RPD’s biggest headaches.
“They cannot understand why their trucks can’t be driven on ice,” said Watson. “I-20 was moving off and on. We had to shut it down two or three times today for a couple hours each time.”
Hunt said the sheriff’s office ran more than double its usual Sunday night shift and stayed busy with calls and helping medical personnel get to and from work as road conditions worsened.
What little thawing or break up of the ice occurred Sunday refroze during the night, making for extremely hazardous conditions Monday morning.
“All parish roads are in horrible shape, with three to four inches of ice on them,” Hunt said. “State highways are in slightly better shape just because of the volume of traffic, but that changed when falling temperatures refroze the roadways.”
“We’re prepared for Monday and here to help, but we ask that everyone stay off the road unless it’s an emergency,” Hunt said. “This is essential for everyone’s safety, the public, as well as our first responders and utility crews.”
“The refreeze is going to make it especially bad,” said Watson. “Our people in the city need to stay off the street. Most places are closed and people are just out driving around and we have to assist in clearing the roads.”
