Winter Ready Wednesdays: Ice storm recap

For nearly a week, Kansans were told a cautionary tale about the impending ice storm that hit last weekend. While the resulting aftermath of the storm wasn’t as far-reaching as predicted, for many, this storm was still treacherous.

At its worst, thousands of Kansans were without power for several hours as power lines snapped due to the weight of ice and fallen tree branches. Some are still waiting for power to return.

While the power may have been off, KDOT crews were hard at work ensuring that state highways and roads were safe for travel.

KDOT crews put in a combined 25,000 hours of work as they cleared the roads over the weekend. During the ice storm, 12,000 tons of salt and 13,000 tons of salt and sand mix were also used to keep roads from freezing and to provide better traction. A total of 1.3 million gallons of brine were applied to surfaces.

For an idea of how icy it was, check out this video of a state trooper who narrowly avoided a horrible crash with an out-of-control semi on I-70 in Russell County. 

While your area may not have been as heavily affected  by this storm as predicted, KDOT still recommends taking weather alerts seriously and to check KanDrive.org and call 511 before you travel during the next winter storm.