NORWICH –  Emergency management officials ordered all roads in the county closed until at least noon Monday after an overnight storm dumped between 10 to 24 inches of snow across the region.
Following a 4 a.m. meeting with emergency management and highway coordinators, Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard B. Decker issued a State of Emergency for Chenango County. All Chenango County roads are closed to emergency traffic only due to the heavy snowfall and the continued blowing and drifting of snow.
Emergency Management Director Matthew Beckwith said he and Public Works Director Randy Gibbon met with the chairman this morning and advised a state of emergency until at least noon.
“At around noon, we’ll get together and do another evaluation and decide if we’re going to open up the roads or keep them closed for a few more hours,” he said.
City of Norwich Emergency Management Coordinator A. Wesley Jones said the municipality was projected to receive between 9 to 14 inches of snow between early and late Sunday evening, with the forecast calling for accumulation to end sometime after midnight. However, Jones said snowfall began earlier than expected and continued even as daylight broke this morning.
Beckwith said the county received between 12 and 18 inches on average. Jones said Norwich received about 16 inches of snow and that more rural areas were reporting a high of about three feet.
Jones said sustained winds of between 10 to 15 miles per hour, with a 30 mph gust, offered an additional hazard of displaced snow drifts in roadways and reduced visibility. Power outages were reported overnight in some areas, but Jones said all power had been restored by 8 a.m.
All school districts in the county are closed and all travel, apart from essential public service and emergency management employees, is banned as of press time this morning.
“All state, county and local highway crews are out attempting to clear the roadways, but due to the amount of snow and limited visibility from the wind, this will take considerable time. Travel is extremely dangerous. Citizens are asked to remove all parked and abandoned vehicles from the roadways to allow the highway crews to properly clear the roadways,” advised Decker in an emergency announcement.
“The state and county roads are somewhat clear. They’ve been working on them all night, but there’s still a substantial amount of snow on them. Some town roads haven’t even been touched yet,” Beckwith said.
Jones said further power disruptions may be problematic because NYSEG crews were unable to respond to remote areas due to the weather. He also said tow truck drivers would not operate in a state of emergency. “If there’s a vehicle struck somewhere, it’s going to be there for a while,” he said.
On his way to work this morning, Beckwith encountered a woman struggling to leave her friend’s driveway. He said the woman became stranded at her friend’s overnight and was trying to get home to her kids even though the road wasn’t yet cleared of snow.
“I look and there was no road, there was just three feet of snow. I told her if she knew the kids were safe she should stay safe, too,” he said.