According to an opinion
by the Ohio Attorney General, the Sheriff of a county may declare
an emergency and temporarily close county and township roads.
This is usually done after conferring with the County Engineer
and the local Emergency Management Agency when weather or other
conditions have reached emergency proportions. Township trustees
and the Ohio Department of Transportation may also be consulted.
There are three levels
of snow emergency classifications:
LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous. Motorists
are urged to drive very cautiously.
LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with
blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those
who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads.
Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Motorists
should use extreme caution.
LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to
non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these
conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal
emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer
to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the
roads may subject themselves to arrest.
The media is immediately
notified by the Sheriff whenever an emergency is declared. Motorists
are encouraged to monitor the Butler County Sheriff's web site or local
media outlets for initial notifications plus any changes in the
designated level of the emergency.
Remember, it is impossible
to know the condition of every road in the County. These are
only guidelines for the majority of roads in an extreme weather
situation. For example, if the advisory level is set at 1, there
may be secondary roads that have deteriorated to a level 2 or
even a level 3 condition. If snow is present, a good rule of
thumb is to always presume that the road ahead is worse than
the stretch of road you are currently on.
Drive safely and use
caution in all weather or disaster situations.
