COLUMBIA, S.C. — Cold weather is expected to hit the Midlands causing concern for those on the roads and for those at home.
A cautious outlook coming from SCDOT's Director or Strategic Communications, Ginny Jones. She says the agency has thousands of employees ready across the state incase of potentially dangerous conditions. She says crews are focusing preventative measures to the Upstate, but have them available across South Carolina.
"Holiday traffic and weather really could make for a dangerous mix...we had crews out pretreating the roads with salt brine, which is a mixture of salt and water."
In the Midlands, Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins says cold weather can also pose a risk for those who elect to stay indoors. He states simple mistakes cause you to lose a home during the holidays.
"They'll leave the pot unattended or sometimes people will say 'I just need to go grab one more little ingredient.' They'll leave the pot on low, and that's the wrong answer, you don't ever want to leave the house with a pot on the stove."
He says space heaters also pose a risk if they are left too close to furniture or in front of curtains. He adds that you can check your heaters before using them, and has the following advice for those using kerosene heaters.
"It's always good if you're using kerosene heaters to make sure you have some kind of ventilation going on because you need to have some air circulating."
Jenkins also advises anyone with a live Christmas tree to submerge the bottom of the trunk in water to avoid extra fire risk.
SCDOT says motorist involved in an emergency are encouraged to report it by calling *47 for their State Highway Emergency Program assistance.