PORTLAND, Ore. -- The city was busy this week preparing for the storm, making sure crews were ready to keep residents safe, warm and with power.

Preparations were underway to keep the homeless warm as temperatures began bottoming out Saturday.

A convoy of large trucks and equipment was mobilized by city officials, charged with keeping streets cleared of ice and snow.

The city said crews were working overtime in preparation for the wicked weather, chaining tires, securing plows and preparing sanders.

“We can plow, we can put down sand and gravel, put down chemical to prevent ice from sticking to the pavement and thaw it when it forms,” said Cheryl Kuck with the city’s transportation bureau.

The city began spraying deicer chemicals on critical streets, bridges and overpasses mid week.

“We’ll be monitoring precipitation, pavement temperatures, moisture content, snow accumulation, ice and road conditions,” Kuck said.

The city has 100 trucks to combat the ice and snow, including 55 plows and sanders.

Meantime, others were mobilizing to protect the city’s homeless population, getting appropriate outdoor to those in need for survival.

“The warmth from the blankets keeps us pretty much warm and the tarps they do help out a lot,” said Matthew Chase, a homeless Portland man.

The JOIN Outreach agency was holding a drive to collect blanks and tarps for the homeless and their pets.

“It’s the kind of thing we hope people have in their homes and can donate without too much difficulty, and it’s a critical resource for folks on the streets,” JOIN spokesperson Marc Jolin said.