MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – On Friday, as the National Weather Service in Baltimore issued a Winter Storm Warning for the area, emergency service coordinators in the Eastern Panhandle were already preparing.
Brandon Truman, director and chief of the Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority was a guest on Friday morning’s Panhandle Live with a projected snow fall estimate.
“So the latest update that I just got this morning was 11 to 21 inches total. It’s going to be starting Saturday evening and we expect three to seven inches Saturday evening, another 6 to 10 during the day on Sunday and another two to four Sunday night with about a 10 percent chance of a little bit of ice.”
He explained how his office is prepared to handle calls this weekend. “Well, this weekend we are increasing our staffing levels, so we’ll have two additional ambulances on this weekend in preparation for this,” He said. “We’ll have nine ambulances running 24 hours.”
“We have extra sleeping capacity at our station, so most of our crews that work Sunday morning are going to be coming in Saturday night. They’re just dedicated and they don’t want to miss their shift and the chance to help. So we’ve made arrangements for all that.”
He talked about some of the tools in their toolbox and their cooperation with others around the community. “Ambulances will be 4-wheel drive. We have salt shovels on all of them. We have plowing arrangements. We’re all going to be working together to make sure that if somebody needs us, we’ll be there.”
He says no matter what if you need help, they will get to you.
“We’ve relied on the military. We’ve relied on Department of Highways, the fire department, private contractors, neighbors with tractors to get to people. I mean, from soup to nuts, you name it, you know, we’ve shoveled our way in, shoveled our way out. You know, that’s why we have shovels on the truck. It’s anything to, to get the mission done.”
Truman, who appeared more than a day before the snowfall was predicted to start in the region, cautioned those who might live with medically complicated loved ones or those who may be reliant on electricity or access to medical care outside the home to plan ahead of the storm to have a generator or be somewhere they can access care.
West Virginia Eastern Panhandle Weather’s Will Astle gave his timeline for the snow fall.
“There is a approximately a 50 percent chance that Berkeley and Jefferson could see more than 12 inches” of snow, Astle said.
“My personal take on it is I think the first snowflakes will start falling in and around Berkeley and Jefferson and Morgan counties around 7:00 PM Saturday. They’re not going to accumulate right away, but I’d say by 11:00 Saturday night it’s going to be accumulating.”
Astle said the event might be wrapping up between 7:00 and 9:00 Sunday night.
Astle will be posting updates throught this snow event on his facebook page WV Eastern Panhandle Weather
Morgan County Office of Emergency Services Director Jason Hoover gave some areas he expects to be hard to access during the snow event.
“There’s several places,” Hoover said. “We have some subdivisions that are (remote.)”
“The Cacapon mountain would be one and even some of the remote locations in the southern end of the county, some of us Sleepy Creek Mountains and subdivisions up that away. So it’s not necessarily just one place, it’s several,” Hoover said.
He also gave an important number to call if you need non emergency help.
“We direct all of our calls to our dispatch center non-emergency line. It’s 304-258-0305. There are there 24 hours and they will take your information down and usually give it to me,” said Hoover. “I will make contact and see what I can do for you.”
His final bit of advice: “Check on your neighbors, especially those elderly neighbors around you. Make sure they’re good and they don’t need any assistance.”
(NWS Baltimore)
From the National Weather Service in Baltimore:
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM SATURDAY TO 4 AM EST
MONDAY
* WHAT…Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet
accumulations between 12 and 18 inches, with highest amounts north
and west of US-340. Ice accumulations up to two tenths of an inch,
mainly south and east of US-340.
* WHERE…Portions of north central Maryland, northern and northwest
Virginia, and eastern and panhandle West Virginia.
* WHEN…From 11 PM Saturday to 4 AM EST Monday.
* IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult to impossible.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Snow will likely overspread the area Saturday
night, becoming heavy at times with rates of one to two inches per
hour possible at times. A mix with sleet or freezing rain is
expected Sunday. Visibility of one-quarter mile or less is
possible at times. A prolonged period very cold wind chills is
likely beginning Friday evening and lasting through the middle of
next week.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in
your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for
the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
Persons should consider delaying all travel. Motorists should use
extreme caution if travel is absolutely necessary.
The Panhandle News Network’s Luke Wiggs contributed to this story.
