KEYSER — While area youngsters were taking advantage of the first of two snow days already called for this week, personnel from area emergency services, law enforcement, the school system and the county's municipalities were meeting to discuss plans for the next storm.
The National Weather Service has declared a winer storm warning in effect from 9 a.m. this morning through 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, with a 100 percent chance of precipitation. Potential accumulation could be 7 or more inches of snow, with an additional 12+ inches possible along the Allegheny Front.
“We just met with the municipalities, Division of Highways, sheriff's department, the schools, and the the National Guard,” Mineral County Office of Emergency Management director Marc Bashoor told the News-Tribune early Monday afternoon.
“We wanted to review where we've been, where we are, and where we're going.”
Bashoor, who, along with Barbara Sutton, remained on duty throughout the record-making weekend snowstorm, said the Red Cross is making preparations to be able to provide shelter for anyone who might lose power or become stranded if an additional layer of snow piles up on top of the 30+ inches already on the ground.
Although power outages over the weekend were not as significant as those experienced in other areas, Bashoor said there were over 1,000 county residents without power “at the height of the storm.”
Most of the outages were in the Fort Ashby area, “but others were scattered around the county.”
One family that lost power was sheltered in an area hotel because they had an ailing child.
“I can't verify if the power in all those areas is back on,” Bashoor said Monday afternoon. “As of this morning, there were still about 179 people without power,.”
At one point over the weekend, the National Guard provided four Humvees and placed a liaison team on standby to assist the county.
“One Humvee was used to transport critical employees to work, like 911 dispatchers, sheriff's deputies, etc. The other three were positioned around the county in case they were needed. One was at the New Creek Fire Hall, one at the Fort Ashby Fire Hall, and one at the Short Gap Fire Hall,” Bashoor said.
“They were there to assist fire, EMS, and law enforcement with access into sites if needed.”
Bashoor said the Guard had “run about a dozen calls,” including “helping transport several families out of bad situations, such as having no heat, etc.”
Even the behemoth vehicles were not match for the monster snowstorm in some instances, however. Bashoor said the snow was so deep that one of the Humvees got stuck in the Fountain area.
“It was apparently stuck for about four hours,” he said.
In Keyser, city officials enlisted the help of several businesses and individuals to help clear the snow after losing one of their plow trucks when it apparently ran over a log.
“We demolished one of the trucks; it was totaled,” Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes said Monday, adding that assistance from Scott Liller, J.R. Lucas, Mineral Fabrication, Frank Smith and Scott Braithwaite helped city crews keep the streets passable.
Visitors to the town's downtown business district had places to park their vehicles Monday morning thanks to the snow being removed from the street and trucked to a vacant lot in the North End of town.
“One of our employees, Eddie Shears, used a Bobcat on Main Street, getting the snow off the sidewalks,” Rhodes said.
“With Streets Supervisor Jim Hannas' help, they've done a great job.”
With the outcome of today's predicted storm unforeseen, Bashoor is advising area residents to exercise care in removing the heavy snow, and also to stay off the roads so city, county and state crews can plow the roadways unimpeded.
“If you don't have to go anywhere, don't go,” he said.
