Area Closings & Blizzard Activates Lamar Emergency Operations Center

Emergency Operations Center at Lamar Community Building

Closings and Cancellations for Tuesday, December 20:

Highway Conditions: 

I-25 Southbound Pueblo – NM State Line (Milemarker 94-1) 

Closed because of severe weather. Lodging / parking unavailable south of Colorado City. NB I-25 open from NM state line. Road closure began December 19th, 2011 at 4:57pm. 

US 40 Eastbound / Westbound Limon – Kit Carson (Milemarker 387-445) 

US 50 Eastbound / Westbound Lamar to Kansas Border (Milemarker 436-467) 

US 160 Eastbound / Westbound Trinidad to Kansas Border (Milemarker 345-497) 

US 287 Southbound / Northbound Kit Carson to Oklahoma Border (Milemarker 133-1) 

US 350 Eastbound / Westbound Trinidad- La Junta

The Lamar Community College campus will be closed on Tuesday, December 20th due to inclement weather.  This includes the Fitness Center, Campus Health Center, and all LCC offices.

Welcome Home Child and Family Development Center will be closed Tuesday, December 20, 2011 due to inclement weather.

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Area residents who require emergency medical, law or fire department services should continue to use 911 for a response, however bizzard related emergencies or information regarding the blizzard in southeast Colorado should be addressed for quick response to the Emergency Operations Center at 719-336-8800.  Fire Chief Cook said that as of 5:30pm this evening, an additional 8 inches of new snow is expected overnight.

Lamar motorists should be aware of the rules governing parking on emergency snow removal streets throughout the city. Any cars parked on these streets will be towed at the owner’s expense to keep the roadway clear for emergency vehicles. The streets are marked with specific signage.

The Lamar Landfill has been closed due to current weather conditions.

All scheduled appointments at PMG Lamar Medical Clinic have been cancelled for Tuesday, December 20th.  We will be operating our Convenient Care Clinic on a walk in-basis from 7 am – 8 pm.   PMG Holly Medical Clinic is closed for Tuesday, December 20th.   PMG Las Animas Family Practice will be open on Tuesday, December 20th.   For additional information on any of these closures, please call 336-6767.

Area residents should plan for potential road closures and take advantage of any time to shop for needed supplies, such as food and health products. This includes items such as prescription medications and for those residents who will be in need of oxygen supplies for the next two to three days, pending potential road travel.

On a side note, Cook said an alarm at the Lamar High School earlier today was the result of open gas valves in the schools laboratory. The Fire Chief said when the monitoring devices register the gas, an alarm is sounded and the feeder valves are automatically shut down.

Also see the CDOT Press Release Here.  Southeastern Colorado Road Conditions
Also see National Weather Service Warning Here: NWS Posts Blizzard Warning for S.E. Colorado

AREA ORGANIZATIONS MAY EMAIL US YOUR CLOSINGS AND CANCELLATIONS AT reportertpj@gmail.com and they will be posted on The Prowers Journal

By Russ Baldwin