WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — Winter Storm Blair is trekking through the region bringing snow, ice and frozen rain to the area, causing closures, crashes and a states of emergency.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office has urged residents to stay off of the roadways in a social media post, citing that deputies are backed up responding to crashes and calls. According to Kanawha County Emergency Management director C.W. Sigman, more than 50 crashes have been reported in the county alone.
Meanwhile, a Level 2 Snow Emergency has been issued in several counties in Ohio, including Scioto County, Lawrence County and Meigs County, warning drivers to only traverse the roads if deemed necessary.
Sunday afternoon, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties, providing additional resources to emergency response and road clearances.
Of those resources, the West Virginia National Guard activated 75 personnel for Civil Assistance Teams to provide assistance to state and local officials, according to a release from the WVNG.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Saturday evening, citing the possibility of mass outages and treacherous roads.
Schools and universities across West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio have closed due to the winter storm. Government buildings in the area have also announced that offices would not be open on Monday.
Flight cancellations and delays have also affected travelers with seven flights being cancelled and five delayed at Yeager International Airport in Charleston, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.com. Five flights have been cancelled and two delayed at Huntington Tri-State Airport.
Warming centers have also been set up in locations across West Virginia and Kentucky for anyone needing a warm place during the possible outages or otherwise.
