OPINION: Public safety includes the ability to get to work

The compassion our community has shown during this historic winter storm has been deeply moving. Volunteers who stepped up to protect our unhoused neighbors did essential, life-saving work, and they deserve sincere gratitude. 

At the same time, many of us are experiencing another side of this storm—one that has quietly but significantly impacted our ability to work, operate businesses and move safely through our city. 

As of today, I have had to close my small business for the third day due to unsafe road conditions. I know many other locally owned businesses in Jackson have been closed for as many as five days. These closures are not the result of power outages—our utilities have worked tirelessly and deserve recognition. They are the result of roads that remain dangerously icy and impassable in key areas, making it unsafe for employees and customers to travel. 

With overnight temperatures expected to remain at or below freezing, any untreated or partially cleared roadways risk refreezing, prolonging unsafe conditions and extending closures for businesses like mine. 

This is not a minor inconvenience. Each day a small business remains closed, fixed expenses continue—rent, insurance, utilities, payroll obligations—while revenue stops entirely. Hourly employees lose wages they rely on. These impacts often don’t feel immediate, but they compound over time, surfacing weeks or months later when businesses quietly reduce staff or shutter altogether. 

As a business owner, passable roads are not optional. They are essential for employees getting to work, for deliveries, and for customers being able to safely reach us. When unsafe road conditions persist for days, the consequences extend beyond individual businesses and into the long-term health of our local economy. 

Jackson is also home to a regional hospital that serves West Tennessee. I am not speaking on behalf of medical professionals, but as a resident and employer, it is deeply concerning to know that unsafe road conditions affect anyone who must travel for essential reasons—whether that is work, medical care, or caregiving. Road safety is not separate from public safety; it is foundational to it. 

This pattern is not entirely new. In previous winter weather events, major commercial corridors remained hazardous for days after conditions improved elsewhere. While this storm was severe, it raises an important question about how we prepare for and respond to situations that exceed our standard capacity. 

Declaring a state of emergency does not automatically bring new funding, but it does expand the authority to act—allowing for faster contracting, emergency purchasing, extended staffing, and broader coordination. When traditional snow and ice mitigation methods prove ineffective, it is reasonable for the public to ask how those emergency tools are being used and how future responses might be strengthened. 

This is not a criticism of public works employees, who have worked long hours under extremely difficult conditions. It is a call for a stronger, more proactive strategy—especially when weather alone becomes the primary factor determining when a city can safely function again. 

We can hold more than one priority at once. Protecting vulnerable neighbors during extreme cold is essential. So is ensuring that residents can move safely, employees can get to work, and small businesses—the backbone of our community—can remain viable. 

Jackson is resilient. Learning from this storm is not about assigning blame; it is about improving preparedness so that public safety, economic stability, and community well-being are protected together the next time severe weather arrives. 

Raina Shults owns a small business in Jackson.