KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A major winter storm is expected to bring lots of snow, frigid air and strong winds to the area later this week.
Kent County emergency officials and first responders are watching the forecast very closely and planning accordingly.
"We are concerned," said Matt Groesser, the county's Emergency Management Coordinator. "This has every bit the making to be a significant event."
The emergency management department has been in touch with local partners including the road commission, police and fire, and hospitals making sure they have staff on hand, although this storm's timing is not great.
"Its going to be more challenging because some of them may have traveled outside the area before the snow gets here so their pool to pull from may be lessened by that effect as well."
Groesser says there has been staffing problems in the public safety sector which has affected response times for ambulances, and this issue could become exasperated by deteriorating road conditions.
So, people need not inundate 911 centers with non-emergency calls.
"Especially during this type of an event, the public needs to be calling 911 for true emergencies, but if it's something that's not a true emergency, they need to work through some of the problems on their own," said Groesser.
Grand Rapids Fire is ramping up its staffing on utility vehicles to respond to an expected higher amount of highway accidents.
They'll also have their homeless outreach team out in the community.
"They are looking to make sure they're trying to get folks into shelter and advising them," said John Lehman, the Grand Rapids Fire Chief. "We have a group choosing to stay outside so checking those location to make sure those people are as safe as possible."
Lastly, officials are expecting power outages and possible road closures, so the community needs to also be prepared to change their own plans to be safe.
The county is expected to release a list of shelters and warming centers Wednesday morning.
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