The DeKalb City Works Department is ready for any amount of snow that will fall this winter.

“They topped off the salt bin yesterday, and half of the fleet of dumptrucks have been outfitted with salt speaders and plows,” said Jeff Sabin, a skilled maintenance worker for the Public Works Department. “Half of the trucks are still doing leaf pick-up.”

The Weather Channel is predicting only a 25 to 50 percent chance that there will be an inch of snow on the ground in the Northern Illinois region by Dec. 25.

“I don’t know what to expect. I have been hearing both ways,” Sabin said.

Whether DeKalb sees one inch of snow or one foot, Sabin said they’re ready.

“We have 12 dump trucks and 12 pick-up trucks outfitted with snowplows,” Sabin said. “Once the phone call is made by the police department, we can have everyone out in their trucks and the main roads plowed in an hour.”

This can only happen if residents cooperate with the snowplows.

“Don’t throw [snow] to the left of your driveway, when we plow, the snow will be thrown right back into your driveway,” Sabin said. “Get cars off the road also, it makes it difficult to plow the streets when there are cars parked on the side of the road. If you leave your car on the side of the road, we can’t plow that road because you will be plowed in. We usually have to come back later.”

Motorists can help out by staying a few car lengths behind the snowplows while they are on the road.

“It is dangerous to be behind a snowplow because of the blind spots,” Sabin said. “We can’t see you if you are directly behind the trucks. Most importantly, be patient. We are trying.”