State Continues Snow, Ice Removal | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

Hazardous Road Conditions Prompt Warning for Motorists to Stay Home

    Raleigh, NC     A winter storm warning remains in effect for the counties along I-95 and eastward. Overall snow accumulations have been lower than anticipated.

    "We are definitely not in the clear yet," said Governor Pat McCrory. "The best advice for today is stay home if you can. Those roads can be dangerous and we don't want anyone to put themselves in harm's way."

    Slick, snow-covered roads remain in some areas and many secondary roads. Black ice concerns continue today.

    Between midnight and 11 a.m., the State Highway Patrol responded to about 600 service calls in central and eastern North Carolina. Patrol officials said that call volume is typical and the calls were mostly weather-related. Troopers answered more than 2,500 service calls yesterday, which included collisions, stranded motorists and abandoned vehicles. That number of service calls was about 20 percent higher than normal. Two fatalities have been reported from weather-related vehicle crashes. Yesterday, a 68-year-old female was killed near Elkin when a pickup slid off the road into a tree and a 37-year old woman was killed when the driver lost control of the vehicle, striking an oncoming pickup truck.

    "Unless it is absolutely necessary to be out, stay off the roads," Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry advised. "Most of the state has had some combination of sleet, freezing rain and/or snow and with below freezing temperatures, we're expecting those icy road conditions to continue throughout today and into Thursday."

    N.C. Department of Transportation crews worked throughout the night last night and continue to work this morning to clear snow and ice from roads and bridges across the state. With parts of North Carolina seeing as much as eight inches of snow mixed with a layer of sleet, the winter weather response effort is expected to take several days to complete.

    Currently, 2,503 NCDOT employees are operating 1,331 trucks and 173 graders to combat the effects of the storm. They are focusing first on the interstate and primary routes that carry the highest levels of traffic and serve as key connectors between cities and towns. Then, they will address secondary roads that carry local traffic.

    "To help our coastal communities dig out from the snow and ice, we're sending more maintenance employees and trucks from the the Triad region to Eastern North Carolina today," said NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata. "This team approach is a critical part of our effort to make roads safe for travel."

    In addition, NCDOT's Incident Management Assistance Patrols are driving up and down I-95 to help stranded motorists and push vehicles involved in accidents off the roadway.

    For updated road conditions, motorists can check the ReadyNC mobile app, call 511 or visit www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel. Travelers are urged NOT to call 911 or the State Highway Patrol.

    Duke Energy reported minimal power outages across the state. The state's electric cooperatives also reported scattered and minimal power outages.

    Eighteen counties have activated Emergency Operations Centers, while most of the remaining counties are monitoring storm conditions.

    Three shelters were open overnight in Brunswick, Iredell and Mecklenburg counties to provide a warm, safe place for those in who needed it. About 50 people sought refuge at the shelters.


    Contact: Crystal Feldman
       govpress@nc.gov