Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 20, 1994 TAG: 9401200139
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By Kathy Loan staff writer
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
In Montgomery County, Sheriff Ken Phipps said his office was trying to respond to emergency needs of the elderly in rural parts of the county, including Riner.
The New River Community Action Program had notified his office of a couple of people without electricity or heat in their houses, he said, "and we're going to try to get them out. It's just a question of where we're going to put them."
In Floyd County, temperatures at Copper Hill sank to 20 degrees below zero in the early morning hours Wednesday, leaving many stuck at home with cars that would not start.
Power outages in the northern and eastern parts of the county added to the general misery for approximately 3,300 residents who were without power for much of the day.
By late afternoon Appalachian Power Co. had restored electricity to about 2,600 customers and the remaining 700 to 800 were expected to have power by nightfall, said Glenda Wohlford, Apco spokeswoman.
Spotty power outages occurred throughout the New River Valley, although Wohlford said the causes were not always clear.
The good news, however, came late in the day: voluntary conservation measures requested by Apco worked, which meant more drastic steps, like rolling power outages, were avoided. Across the region, fire and rescue crews braved well-below-zero temperatures Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to respond to house fires and other emergencies.
In Blacksburg, firefighters dealt with blown transformers and flue fires while street crews worked on a broken water line on South Main Street.
The break happened about midnight and water was still coming out of the ground late Wednesday morning. Barriers had been set up to alert motorists to the spreading water which turned to ice, said Assistant Town Manager Bonnie Svrcek.
In Riner, fire crews fought to contain a blaze in an empty house in the 4500 block of Graysontown Road to the upstairs, according to Fire Chief Jay Altizer.
Lt. O.P. Ramsey of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said arson may be the cause of the fire, which is still under investigation. While most folks were finding ways to stay inside and out of the cold, some apparently liked the weather. One adventurer scaled the rocks where U.S. 11 enters Radford Tuesday afternoon.
And two men in their 50s who were duck-hunting on the New River found themselves soaking in a frigid river Tuesday when their canoe capsized.
The two men were in the water for about five minutes before getting themselves out, then walking to a guard shack at the former AT&T plant to call for help, said Charlie Shoemaker, captain of the Pulaski County Lifesaving Crew.
Emergency medical technicians used heavy blankets to warm the men - who had been wearing insulated coveralls - and took them to Radford Community Hospital for treatment, Shoemaker said.
In Blacksburg, Virginia Tech students whose cars stubbornly refused to start piled onto the town's transit buses on Wednesday's first day of classes for the second semester.
"People were doubled up and the aisles were overflowing," said Jennifer Dahlman, a senior who awoke to no heat in her Windsor Hills apartment.
Scattered outages were reported throughout Blacksburg.
"It's just been a real adventure here," reported an exasperated but still-cheerful Angie Thomas, a leasing agent for Windsor Hills where about 300 apartments were without power for two hours.
Some bailed out and headed to motels - one resident, with a tropical fish tank.
At Lantern Ridge Apartments, icy breath also greeted residents of 11 of 15 buildings who were without power for nearly eight hours.
At Tech, administrators put out the word to control power use in offices, which meant extra lights were out and computers were off. Virginia Tech Electric Service, like Apco broke use records late Tuesday. It generates about 10 percent of the university's power, and buys the rest wholesale from Apco.
The wintry weather has also played havoc with high school sports schedules. Postponements are becoming a regular occurrence.
"I've experienced a lot of tough winters over the years, but this [winter] has been the worst ever," said Norman Lineburg, who has been the athletic director at Radford High School for two decades.
Some events have been postponed, rescheduled and postponed again.
In Radford, Superintendent Michael Wright would like to see the city's pupils return to their classrooms. The roads are clear, the temperature's rising, but schools remain closed today and may stay shut longer.
The problem? Parking lots and sidewalks are still frozen solid.
Lineburg said Radford High School is surrounded by a rink of ice. "We should add hockey."
In Montgomery County, Superintendent Herman Bartlett was to make a decision on whether schools would open for the rest of the week by late Wednesday night. The school staff was busy drawing up a snow route system and options for making up the two missed days not already factored into the school schedule. The School Board will receive those proposals Feb. 1.
In Pulaski, the town called on nearby fire departments Wednesday night to help fill a water tank that serves a residential area where water has been lost due to a broken line. Town crews have worked several nights trying to fix it.
Around the valley, New River Community Action has helped a few families without heat during the cold snap by putting them up in motels as well as providing emergency fuel, food and blankets to others, according to Michelle Bouchard with agency's Christiansburg office.
The elderly especially have been calling for blankets. The agency Wednesday had volunteers delivering blankets donated by local motels but welcomed additional donations. People can call the office at 382-6186 or take items to 106B S. Franklin St.
by CNB