Areas North of Chattanooga Dealing with Aftermath of Winter Storm
The Sequatchie Valley covered in snow from the Highway 111 Scenic Overlook.
DUNLAP, Tenn. (WDEF)- While areas in the Chattanooga metro have seen significant improvement from the snow, areas to the north and west are still buried in inches of snow and ice.
Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, and Meigs County were some of the hardest hit by the winter storm late Sunday into Monday.
Many roads, especially secondary and those in mountainous areas, have been very treacherous to impassable.
Among the response to this storm, the 30 members of the Sequatchie County Rescue Squad including Dyana Scroggins have been working non-stop since Sunday night to assist residents during what they say is the worst winter storm in a decade.
Scroggins said, “The last winter storm that we got was around 2014, and of course that also got Cagle shut down.”
There have been endless calls all across the county.
Some of the worst areas affected according to Scroggins include Fredonia and Cagle Mountains.
Scroggins said, “The first night of the storm if I’m not mistaken we actually got toned out to help get people who were stuck on Cagle, were stranded… We have went to people who do not have a lot of food, who are literally in the bases of their cupboards, and we went and took them food when they can’t get out.”
The Christmas tree in front of the Rhea County Courthouse covered in snow.
While traveling across the northern parts of our viewing areas, we witnessed many of the highways, including Highways 27, 111, and 127, in decent shape with traffic moving well.
However, most secondary roads along with parking lots and driveways are still covered inches in snow and ice, and were very slippery to drive and walk on even into Wednesday.
The Sequatchie County Highway Department told News 12 that Wednesday is the first day they’ve been able to tackle the icy roads with salt.
This is because salt is only effective when the temperature is over 20 degrees and there’s sunshine to aid in the melting.
They say all areas of Sequatchie County have experienced issues, and they’re working on main roads before clearing over 400 county roads.
We have also received reports of icy conditions in nearby Bledsoe, Meigs, and Marion Counties.
One man told us that Highway 443 in Bledsoe County on top of Walden’s Ridge was very icy as of Wednesday morning.
Meigs County Commissioner Zachary England told us that crews in Meigs County were working to clear roads, starting with main highways such as Highways 58 and 68, and said most secondary roads were still in rough shape as of Wednesday Morning.
Marion County closed Highway 156 heading up South Pittsburg Mountain on Wednesday due to ongoing ice issues.
The First Baptist Church in Dunlap covered in snow. The adjacent roads are covered in ice and snow and representative of many secondary roads across the area.
The Sequatchie County Rescue Squad, who is operating a warming shelter on Rankin Street in Dunlap through the duration of this event, says they are committed to helping out their community.
Scroggins said, “We are trying our hardest to go wherever we can be needed. so we’ve got a lot of different tones for a lot of different ones. Some people get car stuck and we get toned out to pull them out and bring them to safety we they need to be brought up.”
The Sequatchie County Rescue Squad is funded through donations, and you can find out more information to help them continue their mission to assist citizens here.
As temperatures continue remain below freezing and ice remains intact on many roads, authorities in these areas continue to ask citizens to stay home unless absolutely necessary.
