La Plata, MD – Snow has already been falling in parts of Charles and St. Mary’s counties and now the fun begins.

High winds and heavy snow threaten power outages throughout the region, which could get from 10 to 30 inches, depending on what news service you gather your information from.

In Charles County, Public Information Officer Crystal Hunt, says all the preparations have been made, now it’s waiting for the storm.

“We’re as ready as we can be,” Hunt said Jan. 22.

“Oh I’m ready,” said one patron at WaWa in La Plata. “I’m just watching all of these fools losing their minds.”

“We have an experienced team of emergency managers who are equipped to handle every aspect of the storm, but this one will present challenges that we may not have gone through before,” Charles County Commissioner Vice President Ken Robinson posted on his facebook page.

Hunt said that Steve Staples, chief of roads, related to her that the county has 50 trucks for road maintenance.

“And they are already mobilized,” Hunt stated.

In addition, the county has 175 contractors, who according to Staples will begin to apply salt starting at 1 p.m. The county also has an additional 50 trucks on standby if needed, she said.

“The county will not begin putting the salt down until the snow starts,” she added. “They have a process where we start with the most travelled roads and then they work their way back from there. Any road that does not have a number on it is a county road,” Hunt pointed out.

“The plan has different levels of implementation,” she continued. “As they enter another level, they call out more contractors.”

One shopper at Walmart in La Plata stated he was out shopping Friday morning for a few last-minute items.

“I live over in Port Tobacco,” he said. “I have an oil furnace. I’ll be all right as long as the power doesn’t go out.”

Another Walmart shopper said, “I’m just here for a few odds and ends. I’m pretty much ready.”

The patron buying gas at WaWa in La Plata, said, “The snow isn’t my concern. I had a major heart attack last week, so I can’t shovel snow. I can’t do anything. I do have a wood stove. I’m just going to hunker down and see what happens.”

Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com