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(CANTON, Georgia, Jan. 22, 2026)
The City of Canton is preparing for winter weather impacts associated with Fern (a winter storm sweeping from the Midwest through the South). Recent forecasts project freezing rain beginning Saturday, potential for significant icing into Sunday, and a deep cold headed into Monday morning. City Staff are working through three sets of actions related to this event. These actions fall under three distinct categories of procedures: Winter Storm Preparation, Winter Storm Observation, and Winter Storm Cleanup.
WINTER STORM PREPARATION
The City of Canton responds to winter weather under a uniform command led by the City Manager. The major areas of preparation fall under safety, utility infrastructure, external coordination, communications, and mobility.
Canton Police Department
The City's Police Department works in coordination with Cherokee Emergency Management and other law, fire, and emergency service agencies in our area to assure the safety of motorists in our jurisdiction, responsiveness to calls for assistance from citizens, and to provide around-the-clock monitoring of public assets. Canton Police Department is outfitted with larger patrol and command vehicles for the safety of our officers and to assist in weather-related concerns. This includes 25 vehicles with four-wheel or all-wheel drive capabilities. Recent upgrades to our local incident command center at the Police Department will provide seamless review of the storm and coordination with Cherokee EMA as well as uniform patrols in the community. The department will have Emergency Operations Center Personnel working around the clock until the event is concluded.
Road Preparation and Impacts
The Public Works Department is outfitted with three snowplows and four spreaders. The department will coordinate any pretreatment of roadways with the Georgia Department of Transportation and based upon forecasts. GDOT will begin pretreating state routes and the interstate tomorrow. The City has secured salt brine and aggregate for pretreatment of major roadways at bridges. City equipment will begin pretreatment tomorrow into early Saturday morning. Please use caution around the brine truck and please do not follow too closely. The department will operate with staff around the clock to work with the Police Department on mitigating road impacts as practical. With the potential of ice, the teams in the field will be equipped to clear roadways of potential fallen trees. The City cannot remove trees from power lines without assistance from utilities.
Leaking and Frozen Pipes
Winter weather can create concerns especially with frozen pipes. The City Engineer, along with our utility provider (H2O Innovations), will work to monitor water infrastructure around our service area. All generators related to water or sewer emergency operations are being checked, fueled, and lubed as necessary. The City recently transitioned to Automated Metering Infrastructure technology (AMI), which will assist staff in reviewing potential leak data in real time throughout water accounts. Additionally, the City will work to assure all water storage facilities are as close to full capacity as practicable prior to the start of severe weather. Residents can assist in water emergencies. Be aware of where your cut-off is in your home should you experience a water break on your property. If you have a water emergency, please contact 770-479-2392.
External Coordination
External coordination is led by the City Manager. This includes working with local government partners, state agencies, Northside Hospital Cherokee, local schools, and nonprofits. The City Manager will coordinate with utility providers to assure contact procedures are in place, assist with the plans for staging equipment, and review prioritization for major emergency facilities. Coordination with the hospital to assure access into the facility campus is a priority. Working with local nonprofits that provide emergency services, such as warming shelters or food distribution, will be reviewed so that information can be communicated to the public. The City operates under mutual aid agreements with other local governments to assist with equipment and staffing as necessary during emergency events. The City will communicate with residents about any delays or schedule changes related to sanitation services.
Communication Efforts
Communication is the most important part of emergency event planning. The City will work to keep residents informed through a variety of options, including the City's website (www.cantonga.gov), social media, and text communication. For information related to the actual weather, please consider tuning into an Atlanta-based news station or the Weather Channel.
WINTER STORM OBERVATION
As the storm enters the area, the City will work to review its impact and deploy services in a manner that protects both the public and our team's safety. Throughout the event, staff in the Cherokee EMA and the Canton EOC will provide updates to our winter storm team. As information is available the City will share such information on social media (which may include sharing content from partners). We will work during the event to notify the public of potential safety issues, such as roadways which are becoming challenging or need to be closed. At the end of this message, we have provided a list of contacts for power utilities. During emergency weather events, the City will not cut off water service for non-payment on the account.
WINTER STORM CLEANUP
As the storm passes and the safety of our team allows, the City will deploy resources to assist in getting operations back into a routine manner. First priority for the City is passable major roads and connectors. These roadways will be cleared as possible in coordination with GDOT and Cherokee County. Police Patrols will assist with Public Works in determining which streets are passable and information will be shared with the public as quickly as possible. Water service is also a top priority of the City. Any major utility incidents will be reviewed to determine prioritization by the City Engineer and H2O Innovations.
Winter storms can often leave debris from falling limbs. Please do not attempt to clear limbs or trees from power lines. This needs to be performed while working with crews for power utilities.
Once the storm has passed and conditions are safe, residents may move limbs to the curb as possible and can request a brush pick-up from Public Works by emailing TellUs@cantonga.gov. The impact of the event will determine how quickly brush pick-ups can occur. If the City determines that utilizing a recovery route is the most effective method for collection, we will share that route and recovery dates via the City's website and social media.
As with any weather event, the easiest way for the City to respond is if residents that do not need to be on the roadways stay off said roadways. Snow and ice are not frequent conditions in Canton. Enjoy it at home when possible and allow our team to do the cleanup work necessary to get you around. Additionally, with cold weather, melting during the day can lead to refreezing at night. Consider safety as your top priority. Slow down and stay home when possible. Based upon the latest forecasted information, please plan to be where you need to be for the remainder of the event by noon on Saturday.
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CONTACT
Utility Company websites:
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