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Columbia is getting ready for what could be the city’s first snow fall of the year.
           
"It's a little exciting, we don’t get much snow in South Carolina, so we all get excited when we hear it," says Public Works Street Division Director Robert Sweatt.  

Sweatt says the city has eight snow plows and four sand spreaders ready to roll just in case they're needed before Friday’s commute. The city also keeps 100-tons of salt and sand in stock for emergencies.

"We're prepared if something should come," said Sweatt.

"We will actually have a centralized state of the art emergency operations center to be able to work out of," said Homeland Security Director Harold Reaves.

Reaves says in preparation for the possible winter weather the city will partially staff its new emergency operations center overnight. The center provides officials with the most up to date weather information.

"There's a whole lot of things going on behind the scenes that most citizens do not know about or are aware of...to make sure tomorrow morning if we do have some sort of snow storm that we can respond in a way that our citizens expect," said Sweatt.

Officials say if inclement weather does occur, your safest bet is to just stay home if you can.

Emergency & Non-Emergency Storm Response Numbers :

For Emergency Calls Dial 911

*The city is  urging citizens to only dial 911 in a life threatening situation!*

For non-emergency calls dial 252-2911

This number should be used for all non-emergency calls, (i.e., to report power outages)                                           

• To report trees down or damage from trees in the right of way or on city property call Forestry and Beautification at 803-545-3860.
• To report flashing or non-working traffic lights call Traffic Engineering at 803-545-3850.
• To report clogged drainage structures or flooding issues call the Street Division at 803-545-3790.
• If you’re not sure which city department to call for a city service please dial 311 for information and assistance.
• If you need assistance or information after normal business hours please call 252-2911. By calling this number city staff in various departments can be dispatched to your location to provide assistance.
• If you have questions regarding City of Columbia services call 401-8847.