John Ross with the Jackson County Highway Department backs his truck into a bay at the department’s garage in Brownstown for repairs to the chains on his tires.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Mechanic J.D. Fish and driver Jeff Cornett with the Jackson County Highway Department place chains around one of the tires on Cornett’s truck on Thursday morning.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Snowplow driver John Ross and mechanic Daniel McIntosh repair chains on a tire on Ross’ truck on Thursday morning at the Jackson County Highway Department garage in Brownstown.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Brad Brown with the Jackson County Highway Department loads a county truck with a mixture of salt and sand Thursday morning at the garage in Brownstown.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
A winter storm that battered most of the state early Thursday morning shut down Jackson County.
That storm continued throughout the day and was expected to leave behind 2 to 4 inches of snow atop a tenth of an inch of ice before coming to end early today, according to the National Weather Service.
While most of the county was at a standstill, the Jackson County Highway Department in Brownstown was a beehive of activity as workers had to cope with changing weather conditions that included more than an inch of rain, sleet and later in the day, snow.
That work was aggravated by the loss of one of the county’s fleet of 13 snowplows early Thursday morning.
“I had a dump truck truck turn over out by Houston,” county highway Superintendent Jerry Ault said while coordinating activities at the highway garage in Brownstown. “We can’t even get a wrecker out there until we get the roads cleared off.”
That was about 3 a.m. Thursday. An hour later, Ault made a decision.
“I called commissioners and told them it was a lost cause,” he said.
County commissioners then decided to declare an emergency, which meant the county was under the highest level of local travel advisories. The red warning advisory meant travel may be restricted to emergency management workers only. During a warning, people are asked to refrain from all travel; comply with necessary emergency measures; cooperate with public officials and disaster service forces in executing emergency operation plans; and obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.
Ault said county crews started working at midnight treating county roads.
One of those drivers, John Ross, said road conditions were not good in Vernon Township, where he spent the night and early morning.
“It was solid sleet,” he said as he took a break to repair the chains on his truck’s tire and reloaded with salt and sand.
Around 9 a.m., snowplows were being attached to the trucks in anticipation of snow later in the day.
“We waited until daylight so we could see what we were doing,” Ault said.
He said the earlier forecasts were calling for the freezing rain to stop at 11 p.m. Wednesday.
“It (freezing rain) didn’t stop until about 8 o’clock this morning,” Ault said. “Basically, what I am hoping to do is get all the roads covered. Once we get material on them, we’re going home, and tonight, we will be back to deal with the snow.”
At noon Thursday, Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour announced it would have an eLearning day Friday. On Wednesday, Crothersville Community Schools and Sandy Creek Christian Academy had announced they were doing eLearning days Thursday and Friday.
The winter storm warning issued by the weather service before the storm was expected to expire at 1 a.m. today.