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Chesapeake gears up for second snowstorm this weekend

The department has about 2,000 tons of salt and ordered more ahead of the storm.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — “We had a real good exercise,” explained Chesapeake Public Works Director Earl Sorey.

After last week's snow storm, Sorey said his crews are now ready for this weekend.

“We have about 2,000 tons of salt on hand," he said. "To put that in perspective, during the last snow event, we used about 1,200 tons of salt.”

He said they have 30,000 gallons of brine in stock and 39 plow trucks ready to clear the roads. The department even ordered 1500 tons of salt, and that’s on the way.

“Supply-wise, we are in very good shape,” Sorey said.

Even though crews are ready to tackle the snow, this storm could bring some new challenges with the possibility of high winds.

“That could be problematic for us, particularly in the southern regions where we have large open fields and you get those winds blowing across snowy areas and blowing it back onto already treated roadways,” he said.

Starting tonight, crews will work in 12-hour shifts throughout the storm. 

Since the department is short on staff, they may utilize waste management and traffic operation workers to help with their efforts.

“Once we get into emergency mode, it’s kind of an all hands on deck," he said. "So, that does mean people playing out of position. It’s all with the common goal to keeping our motorists safe and getting the roads clean.”

It's better to stay off the roads during a snow day if you can. However, if you have to drive in snowy weather, check out this list of ways you can prepare your car for the weather.

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