City Of Tulsa Provides Update On Winter Weather Response

Many Tulsa streets are packed with snow Monday morning despite city plows working overnight to clear them.

The City of Tulsa said that as of midnight Monday, its plows have officially been running for a week straight. The city stressed that crews will continue to be out in 24-hour shifts as they work to clear area roads. That is why they are stressing that if you don't have to be out on Monday, don't. Just stay home.

The city said roads are passable if you do have to leave for an emergency, but only if you take your time and do not drive a low-riding vehicle.

"We're running plows in groups of four or five so we can take the turn lanes on the wide arterials all the way across to curbs, so we get a complete clearing. There's still snowpack on the ground underneath that," said Tim McCorkell with the City of Tulsa.

McCorkell also said the city is down 10 plows right now, one of which is because a truck tried to speed around it on Sunday but ended up hitting and damaging it instead.

This comes as Mayor G.T. Bynum said every homeless Tulsan, that they know of, is in a shelter right now. Overnight wind chills on Monday dipped into -22 degrees, which poses the severe risk of frostbite and hypothermia. Bynum said having all of the city's homeless in shelters creates an opportunity to connect them with long-term housing and provide them "with a far better life than they would find in an encampment."

Since the windchills are in the negatives and will be for a couple of days, be wary of frostbite and hypothermia. Frostbite is when you lose feeling in your fingers and toes, even your nose and earlobes. The skin will look waxy, discolored, and cold to the touch. If that happens, you should immediately go inside and slowly warm up the affected area. Do not rub the area as that can cause further damage. If the frostbite is severe you will need to wrap it in loose, sterile bandages and seek medical attention.

Hypothermia is when the body's warming system starts to fail due to the cold. Signs of hypothermia include shivering, numbness, weakness, glassy stare, and loss of consciousness. If you see someone suffering from hypothermia, immediately call 911. After that, gently move them to a warm place and monitor their breathing. You will also need to remove any wet clothes and dry the person.