Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 16, 1993 TAG: 9303160132
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
NEW RIVER VALLEY DIGS OUT
The New River Valley began digging out Monday from the winter storm of the century, telling tales of survival, good Samaritans and good fortune at having neighbors who care.From Floyd County to Giles County, people pitched in to make sure others were warm, safe and dry or got on their way to their next destination.
Dan Brugh, resident engineer for the Christiansburg office of the Virginia Department of Transportation, said he expects snow-clearing efforts to progress better now that extra road-clearing equipment was arriving from other parts of the state.
"I think [Monday night and Tuesday] we're going to make a real big dent in what's left," Brugh said.
The New River Valley Mall expects to be open today. Virginia Tech and Radford University are expected to reopen Wednesday.
Brugh, who had slept about eight hours in three days, said more than 250 miles of secondary roads in Montgomery County remained blocked Monday afternoon. Workers had spent 12 to 14 hours in the Mount Tabor area but only had been able to clear a 1 1/2-mile stretch of road.
Pulaski County declared an emergency Monday because of the snowfall. The declaration will allow damage assessment as weather permits this week. Pulaski County residents and businesses will become eligible for any state or federal assistance that becomes available.
The Board of Supervisors will meet later this week to confirm the emergency declaration.
Many state roads in Pulaski County remained closed Monday. It may be several days before residential garbage service is resumed. Any residents who have snowmobiles for emergency use are asked to call the emergency services coordinator at 980-7711, days, or the sheriff's office at 980-7800.
Macey Buckson, a spokeswoman for the Long Airdox Co. Inc. factory in Pulaski County, said the heavy snow caused the plant's roof to partly cave in Sunday night.
"It's just a big sag," she said.
Operations have been suspended until the roof can be cleared and properly braced, she said.
The conveyor belt systems' plant has about 125 workers.
In Radford, City Manager Bob Asbury said roads had been plowed, but mainly for use for emergency services, and streets remained hard-packed with snow.
City workers had been on the job since about 6 p.m. Friday, rotating crews and shifts. Asbury cautioned that, although patches of pavement were visible Monday, those areas likely will be iced over today.
Trash pick-up will be delayed until the Ingles Mountain Landfill is reopened.
At Montgomery Regional Hospital, Judy Tynan said dedicated hospital employees, emergency services workers and former patients worked through the weekend to make sure medical care was accessible.
Tynan, vice president of public relations and marketing, said a group of employees made plans to stay at the hospital Friday night when the snow first started falling, but ended up staying the weekend.
Those employees, plus a handful of former patients who volunteered their four-wheel-drive vehicles, helped the hospital operate, Tynan said.
The former patients shovelled the parking lot and shuttled nurses and other employees to and from the hospital.
"I've never seen a community work together like that," Tynan said.
Some workers were on their feet for 18 hours, Tynan said. Four people cooked meals for patients during the day, then made sandwiches for emergency room staff at night.
Tynan gave special thanks to emergency service workers and to Steve Bowling, David Larkin and Cary Moskovitz for their four-wheel-drive assistance.
Radford Community, Pulaski Community and Giles Memorial hospitals also reported no major problems but lots of help from employees and the community.
At the Pulaski hospital, lab technicians washed dishes and x-ray technicians vacuumed and cleaned rooms, Administrator Chris Dux said. Vacant rooms and disaster cots were used to house employees.
Glenda Wohlford, administrative assistant with the Pulaski division of Appalachian Power Co., said about 900 customers remained without power in the eight-county service area. Hardest hit was the Montgomery-Floyd county area, where 350 customers were still without power as of noon Monday.
Wohlford said there were no major circuits out, only scattered problems. But crews were having difficulty reaching places because of road conditions in isolated areas. Monday, a helicopter was traveling the lines in Montgomery and Floyd counties to track trouble spots.
Dan Haga, chief deputy of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, said primary roads were in good shape but secondary roads were still rough.
There were no major traffic accidents reported, but Monday several cars were still sliding off roadways, including Virginia 114.
After digging out two deputies on Mud Pike Road Sunday morning, two employees of Marshall Concrete Products went to rescue three other deputies who were stuck in snow on Barringer Mountain Road.
Keith Spence and Terry Williams became stuck Saturday afternoon while trying to pick up another deputy for work.
Fred Shores, another deputy, tried to reach them but they all ended up together until Dan Canada and Steve Marshall dug them out with a front-end loader at 5:50 a.m. Sunday.
About four hours before that, they had reached Lt. Tom Whitt and Dep. Gary Chandler who had been stuck since about 4 p.m. Saturday.
M.J. Dougherty, Michael Stowe and Madelyn Rosenberg contributed information for this report.