One of the most difficult things we encounter when a winter storm hits is the ability to travel as we want or need to.

While these instances may cause various inconveniences like delaying plans, taking longer to commute to work or having to miss work all together, it is important to remember that those strains are increased for everyone, especially on the roadways.

This is the purpose of the snow emergency levels declared by the sheriff.

However, many factors go into making a declaration for emergencies that are not taken nonchalantly and include consultations with other Lawrence County personnel such as the county engineer, state garage superintendent and the county emergency management director.

The ability to keep the public safe is an essential component to the sheriff’s responsibilities. It can be cumbersome to see the emergency levels change, but the purpose and timing of making these declarations is to alert the public of potential hazards that may be encountered throughout the county while working to maintain public peace and safety.

It is important to use common sense on the roadways and remain vigilant to these alerts provided by the sheriff.

Ultimately, for these snow emergency protocols to continue to be effective, it has to be a collaborative effort between those charged with making the determinations and the public.