As snow and ice melts, ensure street drains are properly cleared out

JACKSON, Tenn. — This week has been quite the roller coaster in terms of weather. From snow to ice and now a warm up going into the weekend.

There are other issues that can happen in regards to all of that melting, such as flooding. City of Jackson Engineer Scott Chandler says the best thing anyone can do first is make sure property and drains are properly cleared out.

“We always try to make sure that the system is clear of any debris and ready to collect storm water,” said Chandler. “Hopefully, prior to this snow event, the drains were open and working properly. And as we start to thaw out, because the ground is so saturated water, will have to run off and collect in our system and have to go in our ditches and our creeks and streams.”

Chandler says that although they take care of the city drainage areas, there are some streets and residences that may not be able to reach.

“In any case we’ll always ride up and down on the streets, although in some neighborhoods ,and in some subdivisions, there may be some drains in peoples back yards that their drains specifically depends on,” said Chandler. “And the city won’t know whether or not those have clogs. Hopefully people are aware that they have drains in their backyards.”

Not only can flooding can be an issue, but also falling ice and snow off the roofs of buildings and homes. Make sure that those are cleared out as well and be careful of falling ice. Chandler says that as long as the thaw is slow, flooding should stay minimal .

“In terms of the storm water if you have five or six inches of snow, that’s five or six inches of water that will turn to water as it melts,” said Chandler. “It’s like getting a slow rain as it thaws out.”

Chandler says that if there are spots that are blocked they have crew available, but the best thing people should do is clear out their area as much as possible.