Law enforcement in Mississippi is asking residents to stay off the roads as the state continues to face severe winter weather that has created ice on roadways.
LISTEN HERE
00:0000:00
State troopers show black ice via. MHP Twitter
Layers of ice and sleet are covering many of Mississippi’s roads and bridges creating hazardous driving conditions. Since Sunday morning, the Mississippi Highway Patrol has responded to more than 750 accidents across the state. Major Johnny Poulos with MHP says many of the accidents are caused by the slick road conditions. “And it also puts us in a position where we’re not able to respond to someone for example that is involved in a serious crash, or somebody that has medical needs,” says Poulos. “And again it’s very important for people to stay home. It makes it a lot easier for what we’re having to do right now across the state.”
Poulos says sections of Interstate-20 between Vicksburg and Meridian became parking lots for several hours as 18-wheelers were unable to maneuver the slick hills. The Department of Transportation reports more than a dozen roads across the state are impassable and have been closed.
Traffic has melted some of the ice on many city streets. But the National Weather Service predicts another wave of winter weather across the state tonight, possibly bringing more freezing rain. John Neal, President of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, says this is a recipe for black ice. “And as soon as your car goes across that, if there’s any evasive action that is taken through braking or through some sharp steering, Then you’re just going to lose control of your car,” says Neal.
“So we ask motorists that if they’re traveling these areas, don’t get comfortable just because you’re not on a sheet of ice. You think that you’re on asphalt but it very well could be that you’re on a sheet of that black ice. It’s hard to see from a driver’s perspective.”
The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will remain below freezing for several more days.
