Governor Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Winter Storm

Anticipating a winter storm Wednesday night into Thursday, Governor Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency, which authorizes state agencies to help localities respond to the weather event. 

On Monday, the National Weather Service declared a Winter Weather Watch from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. Thursday. They caution that it is still too early to predict the amount of snow or even the type of precipitation in the region.

“Now is the time for Virginia to get ready for this storm,” said Governor McAuliffe. “This state of emergency declaration will empower the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Department of Transportation, the Virginia National Guard, and our electric and cable utilities to prepare for a storm that is predicted to create power outages and significant travel challenges across the Commonwealth over the next few days."

The Commonwealth of Virginia is preparing for the approaching storm in a number of ways:

• The Virginia Emergency Operations Center has additional response team members to coordinate the state’s response to the storm.

• The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is coordinating conference calls between the National Weather Service, state agencies and local governments.

• The Virginia Department of Transportation is treating roads in some parts of the Commonwealth, and crews will be out in full force for snow removal as the storm arrives. Roads with the highest traffic volumes are cleared first.  VDOT has adequate supplies for this storm.

• The Virginia National Guard has been authorized to bring up to 300 personnel on state active duty to support emergency response operations.  Virginia Guard personnel will be alerted to begin staging and expect to be in place Wednesday so they are able to rapidly respond if needed.

• The Virginia State Police will extend shifts and have additional troopers on patrol to expedite response times to traffic crashes and disabled motorists.

“Just as state government is preparing for this storm, I urge every Virginian to take proper preparations. Prepare to limit unnecessary travel during the storm, have emergency supplies on hand and be ready in the event that power in your area goes out,” he said.