Blizzard and winter storm warnings continue in Northwest Indiana. Temperatures in the Region are around -10 this morning with wind chills nearing -40. The National Weather Service says travel should be restricted to emergencies only, and if you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle, officials say. Emergency preparedness officials also say display a bright piece of clothing to signal for help if stranded and floor mats can be used for extra insulation.
The Travel Advisory Map is active on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security homepage; refresh page to update. County emergency management agencies update this map to show the travel status of each county. As of early this morning, La Porte County was under a Warning, the highest level; Lake, Porter, and Pulaski counties were under a Travel Watch, the second highest; an Advisory was in the effect for Newton, Jasper and Starke counties.
The Indiana State Police Lowell Post is asking the public to use available resources for road and weather conditions. One is the website 511in.org which is used by INDOT, and the main website, which is https://www.in.gov/indot/travel-conditions/travel-information/ , or 1-800-261-7623 for those that prefer a phone number. At 511in.org you can find traffic cameras, plow cameras, and roadway incidents. For weather forecasts and current conditions, troopers are asking residents to please visit the National Weather Service website, https://www.weather.gov/lot/ and to not call the Post for road/weather conditions as they said they will likely refer callers to the mentioned websites or phone number. There is also an INDOT app for smartphones. “If you decide that you absolutely must travel, please take extra precautions as your decision could have life or death consequences if first responders can’t reach you in time.”
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration says warming centers will be open across the state for those in need of a safe and warm place to stay and residents can call 211 to reach a Community Navigator 24/7. A news release said Indiana 211 is your community’s resource for updated locations and hours of warming centers in your area, as some traditional locations people may seek shelter might be closed due to the holidays.
Officials say consider taking the time to check on neighbors, especially those with medical conditions. Also, bring all pets indoors. With extreme cold in the Region, Emergency Veterinary Care Centers says “make sure your furry friends are somewhere safe, warm and dry”, and said in a post at their Facebook page that in the event of a veterinary emergency, their locations on in Highland and at the Westville Purdue Northwest campus are open.
