ARKANSAS, USA — Starting on Sunday, 5COUNTRY is expected to start enduring a days-long bout of winter weather.
"It's gonna be a long, tough stretch for three or four days, but we're in good shape overall," Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) spokesperson Dave Parker said.
With so many storms moving into the area, the personnel keeping roads ice-free become the unsung heroes.
"They will all be working 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. kind of shifts, starting Saturday, Sunday, of course, Monday would normally be a holiday, but not for us," Parker added. "So they're ready. I think it's a mental thing. As long as you know what's ahead of you in some way you can prepare for it."
Benton County leaders say they are prepping their crews and vehicles now to be ready for long shifts as well.
Melody Kwok, the director of communications for Benton County says that crews are working around the clock to ensure safe roads.
"We are preparing to have overnight crews to help our emergency responders and help clear any significant accumulation that we get overnight as well as having our day crews will post 12-hour shifts," Kwok said.
Washington County leaders say they normally don't pre-treat the roads because of the difficult terrain but they will this time around because Sunday's winter storm could make the roads dangerous to drive on.
"We have a county with a very diverse topography. And so there's a lot of places where we understand there's a lot of inclines a lot of hills that give people a lot of trouble. And so that's what we're going to look at what this is of in," Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins said.
While drivers are encouraged to stay off the roads during difficult conditions, those that do have to be on the road should look out for fallen trees or powerlines on the roads from high winds.
"Please stay in your car, stay away from those alert emergency services that you have found that power line being down so that people can respond to get that cleaned up," Judge Deakins added.
All officials say in any emergency, it's safest to stay in your car until emergency responders can reach you. They also advise drivers have emergency preparedness kits and blankets, food, and water in their cars.