Snow dump leaves behind dangerous cold, slick roads, closed schools | LIVE UPDATES

Maintenance crews in the Sandhills are preparing for the winter weather expected to hit the area on Wednesday and Thursday. The weather is expected to be a wintry mix--a little bit of everything.

Officials at Cumberland County--the state's Department of Transportation--and the city of Fayetteville say their current preparations for the upcoming winter blast are similar to their preps for the last big storm that came through the area. But this time, they're specifically warning people to be prepared for power outages.

On the roads, NCDOT says preparations started Monday with spraying brine. The maintenance engineer for Cumberland County says his entire staff--almost 50 people--have been working and will be salting roads all day and night on Wednesday.

Maintenance crews in the Sandhills are preparing for the winter weather conditions expected to the area and parts of central NC this week.

"We're at about 115,000 gallons of brine so far," said Jason Dunigan, the Cumberland County Maintenance engineer for NCDOT. We'll transition to putting spreaders in taking tanks out and go from there."

The city of Fayetteville says its workers have also started out spraying about 2,000 gallons of brine. Craig Allen, the streets division manager suggests drivers should take special care when manuevering certin parts of the city.

"Bridges will freeze prior before roadways. Well, so you need to take extra precaution on those bridges...especially those that have that are shaded or overcast, hit by trees or any other type of foliage, because those are less likely to melt than other areas."

Ahead of the expected winter storm moving toward North Carolina counties, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said it will allow early prescription refills to ensure that customers have access to the medications they need.

This action is in effect for the entire state following Gov. Josh Stein's declaration of a State of Emergency.

Early prescription refills are available to customers in all 100 counties through March 19.

Early prescription refills for Blue Cross NC customers must be made while the State of Emergency declaration is in effect.

Customers with questions about their prescription drug coverage may contact the customer service number on their Blue Cross NC card.

The early prescription refill policy does not apply to controlled substances.

Gov. Josh Stein was joined by state officials Tuesday morning for a media briefing outlining the state's plans ahead of an impending winter storm.

"We've had a tough winter season in North Carolina and it's not over yet," said Stein.

The state has activated the National Guard to assist local communities across the state, including in Raleigh, as part of a broader response.

The state has activated the National Guard to local communities across the state, including in Raleigh, as part of a broader response.

"We have more than 1,300 employees and contractors conducting pre-storm preparations. As of this morning, we have used (more than) 1 million gallons of brine to pre-treat hundreds of miles of highways across the state. We also have nearly 500 trucks with plows and spreaders and 240 motor graders ready to remove snow and ice. We have 130,000 tons of salt ready to treat roads once the snow hits," said Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins.

Check closings and delays

Stein said the top two concerns are power outages and road safety. He encouraged people to stay off the roads if possible.

"Thawing and refreezing will lead to black ice. Everyone needs to be especially careful on our roads. Please avoid traveling unless it is necessary," said Stein.

The state has activated the National Guard to assist local communities across the state, including in Raleigh, as part of a broader response.

Watch the full briefing below:

Stein declared a State of Emergency during a Tuesday storm briefing

"Duke (Energy) has shared with us that they are moving crews in from out of state from a number of different locations into North Carolina. Today, they are moving crews from the west to the east and have a number of crews, which will also follow tomorrow from the western part of the state into primarily central and eastern North Carolina. And they're looking at capabilities both from a vegetation management standpoint as well as line crews to focus on restoration," said William Ray, Director of Emergency Management.

NCDOT is positioning equipment near known trouble spots and will be assisted by the State Highway Patrol and the National Guard to clear disabled vehicles from roadways.

Officials said warming shelters will open, adding people should charge their devices, and make sure they have flashlights and spare batteries ready for use.

"If your power goes out during the storm, please ensure that generators are operated outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Never burn charcoal indoors or use a gas grill indoors. Properly vent all kerosene heaters and make sure heaters have space around them to reduce fire risk," said Ray.

Hazardous travel conditions are expected during the next several days, even after the storm has moved out of the area.

"Our first priorities will be the interstates and other major highways, then other US and NC routes, and then secondary roads," said Hopkins.

Wake County Public School closed on Wednesday due to the potential for winter weather.