Winter storm warnings have been issued for eastern North Carolina, including New Bern, and the City is urging residents to take precautions. The forecast calls for rain, freezing rain, and several inches of accumulating snow Wednesday into Thursday. Highest accumulations are expected along the Highway 17 corridor. Near-freezing and below-freezing temperatures mean travel could become hazardous along local roads and remain that way for several days.
Motorists are encouraged to practice safety in their commutes and stay off the roads, if possible, once conditions deteriorate. If you haven’t already, take time now to prepare your home: stock winter essentials, cover outdoor spigots, close crawl space vents, close storm windows, disconnect and drain all outdoor hoses, stow outdoor equipment and trash and recycling bins. Restock your emergency preparedness kit with survival supplies including food, water, necessary medications, batteries, a weather radio, cellphone charger, flashlight, windshield scraper, and extra coats, hats, blankets, gloves and mittens.
Trash and recycling service for City customers is running on schedule so far. Thursday’s routes are weather dependent.
Public Works crews started this morning spreading a sand/salt mixture on city roadways. NCDOT crews began yesterday spreading brine on bridges and overpasses. City staff have prepped and fueled vehicles and snow removal equipment. If snow removal is necessary, City crews will focus on major routes first. Side streets will be a secondary priority.
We may experience power outages. If you lose power, report it by using the portal on our website homepage. Scroll down to the blue “I Want To” box and click on “Report a Power, Water, or Sewer Emergency.” You can use your account number or phone number associated with your utility account to report your power outage. Use the form at the bottom of that page to report a water/sewer emergency. You can also call (252)636-4070 to report power, water, and sewer outages.
Residents are strongly advised to subscribe to the City’s emergency alert system, CodeRED. It’s free and it alerts subscribers to emergencies within the community either through text messaging, emails, or phone calls. You can sign up on the city website or download the CodeRED app to your smartphone. On the website, go to Departments, then Fire Rescue Department, then click on Web Links under the Misc tab.
The City will also post emergency alerts and information, as necessary, to its social media platforms. Follow us on Twitter at “@CityofNewBern” or on Facebook at “@CityofNB.”
Submitted by: Colleen Roberts, Public Information Officer, City of New Bern