City and county officials cancelling operations indefinitely due to weather

City and county officials provided an update on effect of weather conditions late Monday morning.

Union County Emergency Management Director Curt Clayton said county offices will be closed Tuesday as well as Monday and no garbage will be picked up Monday or Tuesday either.

“Garbage will be picked up when it is clear, but we don’t know when that will be,” he said.

Clayton said he was not aware of accidents involving serious injuries but there was about two inches of ice on county roads at 11 a.m. Monday and he had just gotten an emergency declaration or the county signed by Board of Supervisors President Steve Watson. Everyone should stay off the roads unless it is an extreme emergency, he said.

With continued sleet and some rain turning into snow, the Mississippi Department of Transportation even called in their maintenance trucks because the roads had become so dangerous.

Mayor Tim Kent was in the process of checking streets with the street commissioner and said they do have two city trucks with de-icer spreaders out, but isn’t sure how much it will help until the sleet and snow stops.

New Albany police dealt with minor accidents all day Sunday but none involving serious injury and, so far, Monday, people had apparently decided it was wiser to stay home.

MDOT is responsible for state highways through town but those likely will not take priority over the interstate and more heavily travelled sections of roadway.

As with the county, Kent said city offices will remain closed Tuesday and garbage will not be picked up in town either.

Both city and county governments will provide updates later once the major precipitation passes, possibly by calling or texting residents through the CodeRed emergency notification phone system.

“Everybody just needs to stay home and stay off the streets,” Kent said.