Collin County and areas north of DFW brace for the heaviest snow, with hospital staff staying overnight to ensure patient care. Residents and businesses are taking precautions ahead of the storm. NBC 5’s Meredith Yeomans has more.
Collin County and areas north of Dallas-Fort Worth could see the heaviest snowfall as the winter storm approaches.
Cities along Highway 75, from Plano to Anna, have made their preparations and are now standing by, ready to respond to whatever the storm brings.
For many, last-minute efforts to prepare included stocking up on essentials like food and firewood.
At Parker Road Wood Yard in Fairview, it was a busy day for Wes Burns, who worked non-stop to meet the demand.
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“Oh my goodness, if you’ll look around at all these racks — they were all full of wood on Tuesday, and it’s almost all gone,” said Burns.
Since opening at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Burns has been loading firewood into customers’ cars.
“It’s the cold weather, it’s all about the cold weather,” he explained. “They all got spooked from Icemageddon a few years ago, so everybody’s stocking up ahead of time.”
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Meanwhile, at Medical City McKinney, about 100 staff members have volunteered to stay overnight at the hospital for the next few nights, including nurses Tori Guynes and Claire Inocian.
“With being able to stay here, it’s really giving me that extra sleep and not have to worry about the commute, not have to worry about going over the lake because I live in Farmersville, so it’s kind of scary going across the lake,” said Guynes.
The hospital is providing staff with the comforts of home as they prepare for a busy emergency room, expecting to treat trauma patients from car accidents, slips, and falls.
“Occasionally, some of our chronic conditions with our patients in the community will flare up in times of cold weather, so we’ll be prepared for those patients as well,” said Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Megan Gallegos.
Preparations extend beyond people.
At In-Sync Exotic Rescue in Wylie, animals are being readied for the cold. Heated dens for big cats are filled with straw, and farm animals are outfitted with coats.
Whatever it takes, both humans and animals are bracing to stay warm through the winter storm.
