Tulsa Homeowners Prepare For Winter Weather

TULSA, OK -- With ice in the forecast, Tulsa is on high alert. Homeowners say they're preparing for the worst. At hardware stores, snow shovels and ice melt are flying off the shelves.

Get your latest weather forecast.

Many people tell the News On 6 they're not going to make the same mistakes they made last year.

"People have definitely got prepared this year. They're coming in early. They're buying up what they need," said Jimmy Gillespie, Home Depot worker.

Gillespie says homeowners need everything from sand and shovels to generators.

"It'll run a refrigerator. It'll run space heaters, things like that," said Gillespie.

Alan Simpson knows the importance of taking precautions.

"I fell down and hurt my back going into my business. So, I am now very careful about ice storms, about taking care of the walkways. So, I don't have to worry about going through that again," said winter shopper Alan Simpson.

Simpson pretty much came for one item: ice melt.

Sand is another hot seller.

"She doesn't ride the bus. I take her back and forth. And if the school is open tomorrow, I'm going to have to take her and I have a truck, but I don't have any sand," said winter shopper, Jan Long.

The city is getting ready to use some of its 8,000 tons of salt. The streets planning manager says workers are ready.

"They'll start showing up shortly after midnight and they'll start driving their routes and looking for frozen spots, patches of ice, whatever. And as they see problems, they'll put salt down," said Paul Strizek, Tulsa Public Works.

Jimmy Gillespie, who works for Home Depot, says this year will be different.

"I think everybody was a little unprepared last year," said Gillespie. "All the Home Depot's were having issues with generators. This year, we've jumped ahead of it. We've got them in and we've got them ready to get out the door."

By rush hour Monday morning, there will be 50 Public Works employees on the streets. In total, 85 snow plows are assigned to cover more than 1700 miles of roadway.

You can track what's happening with WARN Interactive Radar and get safety tips in our Storm Zone Section.

You can get the latest WARN Team forecast in the NewsOn6.com Weather section.