Preston County digging itself out of snow, some motorists stranded
October 30, 2012 ·
Preston County is covered in snow as a result of the “Frankenstorm” moving through the area. The county has anywhere between 8 inches to nearly two feet of snow, and it’s still falling.
Interstate 68 in Preston County is closed, between exit 15 and the Maryland line, due to snow covered conditions, as well as trees down along the interstate.
State Police and National Guard personnel are helping stranded motorists along Interstate 68 get to the county's emergency shelter.
According to the Preston County Office of Emergency Management, there are 25 tractor trailers stranded on the interstate.
Justin Wolfe with the office says there’s a chance I-68 westbound could be open later today, but eastbound will take longer, due to the fallen trees and wet snow piled up along the road.
"We’re trying to establish new shelters as a need arises. We’re looking at opening up a new one, in the Kingwood area," he said.
There’s a shelter in Preston County at the Bruceton Mills Volunteer Fire Department.
Preston County has up to two feet of snow in some places, and trees are down on several of the county roads as well.
Wolfe says this creates a daunting challenge; removing trees before more snow falls on them, which makes them even harder to move.
"DOH is trying to open up some roadways but there are so many trees down, it’s hard to stay on top of the trees, so that’s probably one of our biggest issues now," Wolfe said.
According to First Energy, there were almost 17,000 thousand customers without power in Preston County, as of 12 noon.
Wolfe says it’s important to stay as warm as possible, and to check in on elderly neighbors, until power is restored.