Along with preparing for and trying to manage the day-to-day issues of a national pandemic, our Emergency Management Director dealt with flooding and storm damage from ice and snow that required MEMA and FEMA involvement. The City of Oxford applied for and received hazard mitigation funds to cover most of these costs.
After the winter storm event in January of 2024, city department heads met to determine what pieces of equipment we should rent and purchase to have on hand for any future winter storm event. Three department heads attended a Snow and Ice Conference to look at equipment and talk about different ways of treating the roadways. If we get snow, we are well-equipped. If we get ice, there simply isn’t much that can be done until temperatures rise. In Mississippi, the rain that most often comes before turning to ice washes the brine treatment off of the pavement before it can do its job.
We will continue to make constant communication a priority with our residents during these events.