Knoxville agencies prepare for deluge of rain from remnants of Helene

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Road conditions are continuing to deteriorate as the storms continue moving into our area , that’s why the Knoxville Fire Department, Knoxville Police Department and the City of Knoxville put held a briefing talking about how they are preparing for this storm.

Hurricane Helene continues making its way inland which will impact East Tennessee. KPD and KFD driving home how dangerous this storm could be when it gets to our area.

Barricades were prepared in North Knoxville in the event that roads along Fifth Avenue must be closed.

“We are in the advanced planning stages, preparing our staff and resources in the event they are needed to respond to calls as they emerge in the community,” KPD Communications Manager Scott Erland said. “We want to strongly encourage getting in front of this one. We want to encourage residents to continue to monitor this system as it develops and prepare accordingly.”

Roads already wet as rain soaked the area over the past few days. Wrecks along the roads could become common as conditions deteriorate. 6 News asked how the city prioritizes calls during these weather events.

“We do work on a priority basis just about all the time in the fire department,” KFD Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks said. “Sometimes we have to take a closer look at those calls and see if we need to actually send a fire truck on it or can we send one of our quick response vehicles on it or can that call be held for a brief period of time until we can get an appropriate unit available to respond to it. We do take a little bit harder look at those calls and we will have somebody in the dispatch center this evening and they will help with determining what exactly we need to go out on.”

The City, KFD and KPD stress how important it is to stay vigilant as the weather conditions continue to change. Knoxville residents should call 311 to report downed trees that are blocking roads.

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