The Sussex County Office of Emergency is preparing for the first snowfall of the year this weekend. Officials are anticipating anywhere from 6 to 7 inches of snow and say 70 trucks have been loaded up with salt.

“Every available driver and truck is out and ready to go,” said Michael Strada, Sussex County sheriff and emergency management coordinator.

The trucks will be treating 620 miles of county roads. State roads, including Route 206, 94, 15, and 23, have been pretreated with brine by state crews.

The roadways aren’t the biggest concern. The sheriff is anticipating the potential for power outages.

“We always worry about possible power outages. Especially if you get a heavy snow and we’re expecting this might be a little bit of a heavy snow,” said Strada.

He advises residents to stay away from downed power lines and report any outages.

“Stay off the roads. Let the plow trucks and the salters do their job,” said Strada. “We’re fortunate with the timing on this as a weekend storm. I know it’s the first snowfall and everybody wants to get out there, but just let the guys do their job.”

The sheriff also reminded people to take their time and be careful when shoveling the snow to try and prevent medical emergencies.