ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 6, 1996 TAG: 9602060088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
NOTE: ABOVE
Another Virginian's death has been blamed on the latest barrage of snow and numbing temperatures.
A friend found William G. Mullins, 46, dead Saturday in the front yard of Mullins' home in the Wolf Creek area of Giles County. Police believe Mullins, who had a history of medical problems, died from exposure, though a medical examiner's report has not been released.
Mullins was last seen Friday evening, when he went to a grocery store with another friend. At noon the next day, Mullins was found lying in his front yard wearing his winter jacket, said Mark Skidmore, a forensic technician with the Giles County Sheriff's Office. There were no signs of trauma on his body.
A Bedford County man's death also has been linked to the weekend's below-zero temperatures. That man died Friday night during a hike home from a restaurant.
Temperatures were no less dangerous Monday as Western Virginians headed back to work after a weekend storm dumped more than 11 inches of snow on the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas.
In Roanoke, a low of minus 1 at 5:30 a.m. broke the day's record of 7 set in 1947, the National Weather Service reported. In Lynchburg, the mercury plunged to 10 below zero, tying an all-time record set in 1985.
Temperatures could climb above freezing today, said Rich Kane, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Blacksburg. Highs are expected to reach between 30 and 35, with lows near 10.
Light snow or freezing rain is expected late Wednesday, but Kane said the storm should not bring a significant amount of precipitation. The storm is expected to carry over to Thursday, Kane said.
But here's some good news: Temperatures could reach as high as 50 in some areas Friday.
Across the state, the frigid temperatures of recent days caused power outages, cracked water lines and made the work of crews trying to clear icy roads difficult.
As temperatures neared zero in Roanoke early Monday, a 12-inch water main cracked near Lakewood Park off Brandon Avenue Southwest. City utility crews restored service by midafternoon, said Jesse Perdue, the street department's manager for utility line services.
The broken line affected three or four blocks of houses on Brandon Avenue and a couple of side streets, Perdue said.
Three other lines broke during the day Monday, including a 12-inch main off Hershberger Road Northwest, he said.
A combination of moisture and rapid changes in the temperature can cause the ground to move and break the pipes, Perdue said.
American Electric Power reported minimal power outages in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas. However, areas to the east that were hit with ice over the weekend did experience many power outages.
Lynchburg reported about 2,600 customers without power, said AEP regional spokesman Don Johnson.
Customers not affected by the power outages cranked up the heat Monday morning, setting an all-time peak demand of 6,908 megawatts, AEP reported. That exceeded by 8 percent a record set in January 1994.
Crews continued to plow roads in Roanoke and Roanoke County on Monday, but the freezing temperatures prevented chemicals from penetrating the ice remaining on many secondary roads.
Virginia Department of Transportation crews stopped plowing secondary roads where only a sheet of ice remained.
``Because of the frigid temperatures, there's not a heck of a lot we can do at this point,'' said Laura Bullock, VDOT's community affairs coordinator. ``Running a blade across ice will just make it slicker.''
Bullock said ice also tears up the plows.
Lanes of Interstates 81 and 581 were dry for the most part Monday, but the shoulders remained icy. And primary roads were in very passable condition, with only occasional patches of ice, Bullock said.
However, many secondary roads remain hazardous.
``People need to be extremely careful,'' Bullock said.
Roanoke road crews continued to widen primary roads and plow residential roads Monday as the sun helped chemicals penetrate the ice. But they stopped scraping the ice in the evening when the temperatures dropped again, spokeswoman Michelle Bono said.
Roanoke's crews then switched their efforts to downtown, hauling snow to vacant parks. Through Sunday night, the crews had hauled more than 200 dumptruck-loads from the downtown area, Bono said.
City trash collectors wore knit masks and ice cleats as they tried to catch up with Friday's and Monday's trash collection.
Bono said the city hopes to be completely caught up with the routes by Wednesday. Residents should set out their trash the night before their normal collection days, but not any earlier because trash cans and bags can freeze to the ground. As in the last storm, trash must be taken to the street this week; trucks will not be using alleys.
Staff writer Elissa Milenky contributed to this story.
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. 1. With a heater nearby, Roanokeby CNBworker Greg Hale directs traffic Monday on Brandon Avenue Southwest
near Mount Vernon Avenue as a crew repairs a water main that froze
and broke. 2. Roanoke worker Trung Tran guides a section of water
pipe down to Chuck Clark (left in trench) and Doug Walker as they
and James Tillery (background) repair the water main. A combination
of moisture and rapid temperature changes can move the ground and
break pipes, said Jesse Perdue, manager for utility line services.