As temperatures plummet into the single digits the next couple of nights, the onslaught of cold weather has brought back memories of unfortunate events from previous winters.
It’s a good time to remind ourselves of all that can go wrong when winter shows its head in Highlands and Cashiers, so as to not make the same mistakes of the past.
First, do not be foolish when it comes to the conditions.
A few years ago a gentleman from out of town lost his life at Dry Falls when he ignored the chain across the walkway and the signs telling visitors to stay back. The walkway, railing, and surrounding rocks were covered with ice. The man lost his balance and ended up drowning in the freezing cold river.
Rescuers worked for more than a full day to recover the man’s body in what was a very dangerous recovery mission. It was a sad situation and one that was totally avoidable.
Second, take care of what’s yours.
Property owners should look no further than the Christmas of 2023 to recall all that can go wrong when water lines freeze and burst. From the Peggy Crosby Center in Highlands to homes in Sapphire, a cold snap with single digit temps led to pipes freezing and failing across the plateau. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage was the result, the extent of which wasn’t discovered for several days since many of the properties effected were unoccupied during the “off-season.”
If you need to leave a little water dripping to keep pipes from freezing, do it. If you need to call and find someone to check on an unoccupied second home (which has hopefully been winterized), do that too.
Lastly, please drive carefully over the next few days, since snow is in the forecast, but also throughout the winter. We are fortunate that there are less drivers on the road this time of year, but not everyone is equipped to handle deteriorating road conditions when the come along. If it’s safer to stay home, please do.
Spring flowers will be popping up soon enough, let’s make sure we’re all around to see them.