WHEELING - West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Monday he will seek federal disaster aid for counties affected by recent major snowfall.
He also acknowledged the snow emergency might not be over yet, as up to 8 inches of snowfall is expected in the region beginning today and continuing into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Manchin toured much of the state by air Monday, making stops locally in Hundred and in Wheeling to speak with county officials and emergency responders. He told them to spend whatever money they needed to keep residents safe, noting the state would seek help to reimburse them.
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(Photo by Joselyn King)
W.Va. Gov. Joe Manchin left and Lou Vargo.
"If there is anything you can do, do it," Manchin said. "I know it's putting a strain on your budgets, but you have to put the people's safety first. Just keep accurate records of everything you do, and we will help you in any way we can."
The records will be necessary as West Virginia seeks federal disaster aid for the snowfall, he said. Manchin said state officials already are preparing the necessary paperwork to receive federal reimbursement for money spent for relief following the December snowfall in the Mountain State.
The application will be held for now while one for this month's snowfall is prepared. The applications will then be sent in together, he said.
Manchin declared a state of emergency in West Virginia early Friday, hours before predicted heavy snowfall. He said this allowed the state to activate National Guard units in preparation for the snow.
Manchin said he initially activated 300 Guard members for the snow emergency, but that number has now grown to 400.
In Wetzel County on Monday, he learned emergency responders had "blown up" a county-owned pickup truck while trying to transport people stranded by the snow. Manchin said officials were looking to the state's automobile fleet to find Wetzel County a replacement.
Tom Hart, Office of Emergency Management director in Marshall County, told Manchin first responders there encountered a paraplegic woman who needed to be evacuated from her home - but she didn't want to leave her service dogs. The Red Cross arranged for a hotel room for the woman, Hart said, and local emergency crews transported her there. Animal control officers were called to take the dogs to her at the hotel, which accepts service dogs.
After leaving Wheeling, Manchin planned to travel to the Eastern Panhandle, where some areas have received as much as 50 inches of snow, he said.
"That's what scares me to death," Manchin said. "That snow is so heavy. Can you imagine just how much 50 inches of it weighs?"
This could prove even more disastrous if the weight of the snow were to cause the roof of a large grocery store filled with snow-weary shopped to collapse.
"They need to close these stores down when there's this much snow or we will," Manchin said. "But you never want to do that to the private sector."