Road conditions across the state are slowly beginning to improve.  As the roads become more easily accessible to emergency responders, the severity and extent of storm damage can be examined. Preliminary numbers from the Department of Public Safety’s six State Communications Centers indicate that beginning at 5:00 PM on December 19, 2012 and continuing through 3:00 PM, December 21, 2012 the Iowa State Patrol managed:

• 384 emergency calls received for assistance (wireless 911 and HELP line calls)
• 195 covered crashes (including three fatality crashes in Hamilton, Pottawattamie, and Sioux Counties)
• 563 calls for motorist assists
• 92 calls for wrecker services (many calls were for more than one motor vehicle, and only account for services to tow vehicles obstructing traffic flow)

Emergency calls received are likely higher as numerous calls on a single event may not have been logged due to the extremely high call volume and radio traffic occurring in the six centers over the past 48 hours.  Additionally, these figures do not include crashes that may have occurred, but have yet to be responded to by Troopers due to the large volume of reports.

The Iowa State Patrol continues to prohibit towing of abandoned or wrecked vehicles on much of Iowa’s interstate and highway systems.  However, please contact your local law enforcement to verify if towing is allowed on county roadways, or roads and streets within your community.

(IA DPS Press Release)