Rockwall County Emergency Management on Winter Storm Response and Road Conditions

Winter Storm Impacts in Rockwall County

• ❄️ Rockwall County has experienced significant impacts to its transportation infrastructure, primarily its roads, due to icy conditions since Friday.
• ⚠️ Despite the freezing temperatures, the county has fortunately seen minimal calls for service or emergencies, attributed to residents staying home.

County and City Coordination Efforts

• 🤝 The Office of Emergency Management has been coordinating with all cities within Rockwall County to ensure the dissemination of up-to-date information and to fulfill resource requests.
• 🗺️ Operations include county road and bridge crews providing sand treatment on icy roads, while cities are actively plowing and clearing ice, sometimes applying granular material afterward.
• 🗓️ Coordination begins early, with proactive engagement with the National Weather Service to prepare city and county plans as soon as winter precipitation is predicted.

Public Adherence to Warnings

• 🚗 Residents of Rockwall County have largely heeded warnings to stay home, resulting in a low number of accidents, with only two reported on the first icy night.
• 🚧 While some vehicles were observed in ditches on Saturday, the overall adherence to safety advice has been high.

Crew Readiness and Public Message

• ⏳ Emergency crews and personnel are ready for a break and looking forward to above-freezing temperatures after nearly a week of continuous work.
• 📢 The public is urged to continue staying off the roadways if possible, despite potential cabin fever.
• 💻 Residents are encouraged to follow Rockwall County's social media and website for the latest updates on road status and closures, and to subscribe to the emergency alerting system by texting RCM to 888777.