PRINCETON, W. Va. -Despite the heavy, wet snowfall, a state of emergency has not been declared state-wide or in Mercer County. The county’s emergency management director, Keith Gunnoe, says they weren’t caught unprepared, with the cold not as bitter as during this year’s previous winter weather and both the DOH and Mercer County cities already stocked up with what they need to clear the roads.
“…This is not unusual for us in terms of past winters. We haven’t had much winter the past few winters, but, you know, this type of snowfall is not necessarily debilitating, per se,” says Gunnoe.
However, we aren’t out of the woods just yet. Gunnoe says the state of emergency could potentially be coming later if predictions of ice come true.
This could wreck trees and power lines and has already concerned Appalachian Power enough to request an additional 1,100 mutual assistance workers from out of state.
“The concerning thing, for me, is not necessarily the snow right now. It’s the fact that this is forecasted to turn to some ice. You know, so with this heavy snow and the trees if we get upwards to half inch of ice out, I think is possible being forecasted, that could cause some power outages,” says Gunnoe.
He says his greatest concern, however, comes when the snow begins to melt and combines with upcoming rainfall into the creeks and streams that have not yet recovered from the amount of rain that has fallen previously. This is expected to result in wide-spread flooding.
“…I would just caution folks to be very vigilant, obviously, when we get through this bout of winter weather here. Temperatures are going to come up and then some heavy rain comes, so just be very vigilant if you live around low-lying areas, flood-prone areas in the county and around our creeks and streams, and should the water start to… rise rapidly, they need to seek higher ground…” says Gunnoe.
Gunnoe says he already has the documents ready to declare a county-wide state of emergency if this level of flooding reaches that point.
Despite milder winter weather, Gunnoe says it’s still a good idea to stay off the roads if possible, adding that the businesses that closed on Tuesday did the right thing.
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