The U. S. Coast Guard says there are big chunks of ice hovering along the banks of the Ohio River but the agency does not expect the river to freeze and disrupt any traffic in the next few days.
What does concern Chief Warrant Officer Mark Nemec is the additional snowfall and warm-up this weekend. He says, "I was looking at the river stages that are reported from NOAA and it looks like we will see an increase, starting this weekend, and going into next week where the levels will rise."
At this point it's not at any kind of flood action stage. But we're going to keep monitoring that," Nemec cautions. They'll especially keep their eye on low-lying areas.
Because the ice is basically just along the banks of the Ohio, the Coast Guard is not out with any cutters to break it up. According to Nemec, "We will get people that call in and let us know what the conditions are. We are also out there monitoring it, looking at it, getting visuals."
He urges restaurant barges along the river to review their contingency plans for how to handle a breakaway that could be caused by an ice floe.
But right now no Marine Safety Information Bulletin has been issued. Such bulletins tell owners to check their mooring devices, wires, chains, lines, and connecting gear to make sure they're of sufficient strength and numbers to withstand the force of big chunks of ice.
