Macomb County emergency center braces for winter storm, power outages, dangerous road conditions
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - While Michigan braces for a winter storm, Macomb County officials say they are ready to handle the roads and keep things moving for those who must brave the weather.
Read: Winter Storm Warning begins at 7 p.m.
"This is the emergency operations center; Comtec is the facility. This room that we're in is the emergency operations center," said Brandon Lewis, the director of Emergency Management & Communications for Macomb County.
This center is used to manage crisis response to disasters and emergencies.
"We have cameras, real-time cameras monitoring our roads in the county, 300 real-time cameras," County Executive Mark Hackel said.
Before the snow arrives, the county plans to get crews on the roads.
"They’re making sure ahead of time you will see trucks out there with the yellow lights kind of traveling on our roadways before the actual snow hits so that if they need to put some salt down because they're aware it's getting icy, they'll put that salt down," Hackel said.
Once the snow gets here, they'll stay out, making the roads safe.

Salting, brining plowing, and even patching – we will make sure we have crews out there readily available to keep safe out on the roadways," Hackel said.
The county will also be monitoring power outages.
Check the DTE power outages map here.
"We are connected with all the utilities, so if power goes out we’re aware of that," Hackel said. "We’re fully prepared, and we're fully staffed no matter what the particular situation might be."
As crews prepare, county officials offered some tips to make sure you're prepared, too.
"They have an ice scraper, they keep a blanket in the car, they keep a few bottles of water, keep some non-perishable food," Lewis said. "Make sure that you have a full tank of gas."
MORE: How to drive in a snowstorm
That’s because if your vehicle gets stranded or you get into a crash, the weather conditions could delay the arrival of emergency crews. You should also be on the lookout for road crews.
"Stay away from the trucks, meaning if our plow trucks are out there try not to get around them, give them the space that they need," Hackel said.