Two weeks ago, snow, wind and extreme cold enveloped Seward County, immobilizing commuters and school buses, challenging farmers and ranchers and creating all the challenges that come with a major January snow storm.
One week ago, drifts measured in feet instead of inches were still being blown onto roads and the first melting created icy driving and walking conditions.
This week, Seward County residents may be dealing with slick, muddy roads.
“It’s going to get sloppy,” Seward County Highway Superintendent Jon Regnier said Friday, Jan. 26.
Puddles, mud and the potential for greasy top surfaces on some of the county’s 900 miles of roads present different issues than the Jan. 12 and 13 storm – but they, too, can cause challenges in transportation and public safety until they either dry up or freeze over.
County residents who notice road areas where attention is needed should call the Seward Highway Department, Regnier said.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners declared a snow emergency during the snow days around Jan. 16, but it may be some time before the county knows if roads were damaged by the storm.
Seward County Commissioner Raegan Hain, who serves as the board’s liaison to the highway department, said the county’s snow emergency declaration could help it garner resources – in either funding or workers and equipment -- for cleaning up roads and making repairs if the state opens up such options.
Regnier, who assumed the highway superintendent duties earlier this month after serving as the assistant superintendent for a few years, said it had been some time since Seward County saw a storm like the one that buried the county in drifts starting Jan. 12.
“It has been very demanding on our crew,” Regnier said. At the very peak of the storm three crew members stayed at their equipment shops to be ready to go for emergency situations.
“They have sacrificed quite a bit. They worked for almost two weeks straight from sunup to sundown,” he said.
Hain agreed.
“We haven’t seen storms like this in years. The entire team did a great job. We are very thankful for them.”
