Snow and ice removal companies have been out of work for the majority of this mild Quad Cities winter. That means a lot of work needs to be done in anticipation for Monday morning's predicted ice storm.
"When we don't go out as often as we'd like, we never know how man of the trucks are ready to run," says supervisor of JC Landscaping and Maintenance, Greg Harper.
Workers pay special attention to the salting equipment. Engines were also checked along with oil levels and windshield wiper fluid to make sure JC's fleet of 16 trucks is ready to roll.
JC's isn't the only QC company thinking about Monday's weather threats.
Ruth Comer with MidAmerican Energy says her crews are also preparing.
Comer says the top three factors that cause the most outages are ice, wind or lightning.
"Ice on power lines can bring the lines down. Ice on tree limbs can bring limbs down onto lines, and that can disrupt power," explains Comer.
While MidAmerican gathers extra workers in anticipation for the storms, there are some things you can do as well.
"Have a kit ready somewhere you can get to easily if lights go out with a flashlight and extra batteries, maybe a radio of some kind to listen to forecasts," says Comer.
But most importantly, if you do see a power line down, call MidAmerican right away. And whatever you do, don't go anywhere near it. Comer says any power line down could be energized and could hurt you even if you're not touching it.