PRINEVILLE, OR -- Crook County officials are asking residents to start thinking about getting ready for winter weather now, by considering lessons learned last year. County Judge Seth Crawford says long-term forecasts predict another cold winter with above average snow pack. "It’s looking like a bad winter, so get prepared. If you live on a non-county maintained road in Crook County, come up with a plan. There are a lot of people that have plans, but if you don’t have a plan, start working on it today."

In January, a number of rural communities found themselves cut off after massive snowfall left eight to 10-foot drifts in some areas, and no plows were available to dig them out. Crawford tells KBND News it's not too early to start planning so the problem doesn't occur again, "Sit down with your neighbors, talk to a contractor and get them out there. Because, the county does a really good job of maintaining our county-maintained roads, but we do not have the resources to go out there on the non-county-maintained roads and take care of those roads, and I want to make sure everybody is safe and ready for this winter."