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Ramsey County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2018 <br /> <br />Page | 82 <br /> <br />its siren system to be fully functional with the use of polygon-based warnings. Tornado warnings issued <br />by the National Weather Service will automatically sound sirens inside or very near the polygon. <br />Winter Weather Watches/Advisories/Warnings – Winter weather watches, advisories or warnings are <br />issued by the National Weather Service. Ramsey County has COOP/COG plans in place. Ramsey <br />County also uses both the county website and social media to broadcast information to employees. <br />Winter Hazard Awareness Week – Ramsey County helps promote and participates in the National <br />Weather Service’s “Winter Hazard Awareness Week” held in November each year. The event provides <br />education for residents on the dangers of winter weather and how to properly deal with it. <br />School Closings – The major school districts within Ramsey County have school closing policies and <br />communications plans in place if inclement weather or temperatures create a hazardous situation for <br />students or staff. School districts also use local mass media to relay information. <br />Snow Removal – Ramsey County and its municipalities complete the snow removal from all county and <br />municipal roads and dispense salt/sand as needed. MNDOT will remove the snow from Interstate and <br />State Highways as well as disperse salt/sand as needed. Municipalities have snow emergency plans and <br />ordinances in place. <br />Backup Power – The Law Enforcement Center (jail, admin.), Emergency Communications Center, Medical <br />Examiner’s Office, Public Works Facility (maintenance areas, admin and primary EOC backup power), <br />and Nursing Home have generator backup power. Ramsey County and municipalities continue to assess <br />what critical facilities need backup power. <br />Program Gaps or Deficiencies <br />Aboveground Power Lines – Much of the power lines in the county are aboveground and subject to <br />damage from ice storms, wind, and falling tree limbs resulting in power outages. Ramsey County and <br />municipalities will work with power utilities to prioritize burying power lines. <br />Backup Power – Not all county or municipal facilities have backup power to critical facilities in the event <br />of a severe winter storm that results in an extended power loss. <br />Communications – Everbridge’s open subscription service was made available to the public in September <br />2016 (https://www.ramseycounty.us/alerts). However, not all residents have subscribed to or follow our <br />Facebook page to receive important messages. Additionally, there are translation services for only three <br />languages (Spanish, Somali, and Hmong). There are over 100 identified languages spoken in Ramsey <br />County, and more than 50 are spoken preferentially in the home. Ramsey County Emergency <br />Management and Homeland Security will, in cooperation/coordination with other partners, place an <br />emphasis on increasing citizen subscription to Everbridge. <br />4.4.7 Extreme Cold <br />Winter in Ramsey County can be severe, and especially dangerous for disabled citizens and outdoor <br />workers. Record temperature lows and arctic-like wind chills can cause cold-related illnesses such as <br />frostbite and hypothermia, which can be deadly. Hypothermia is the greatest and most life-threatening <br />cold weather danger.