Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 14, 1993 TAG: 9303140155
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BLIZZARD WHIPS REGION; WESTERN VA. SHUT DOWN
It was not just a winter storm but a bona fide blizzard that blew into Southwest Virginia Saturday on 45-mph winds - snapping power lines, closing interstates and dumping enough snow to be measured by feet instead of inches.State police reported one traffic fatality on Interstate 81 in Rockbridge County. But for the most part, police dispatchers said there were few serious accidents as most people stayed home to wait out the storm.
Fear of the roof's collapsing at the Vinton LancerLot forced suspension of the Roanoke Valley Rampage's East Coast Hockey League game with the Richmond Renegades on Saturday night. Emergency officials ordered the 62 fans in attendance and both teams to evacuate the 3,250-seat arena when a steel beam helping hold the roof in place started to warp and allow water to seep into the building's east end. Richmond led the game 6-2 when the game was suspended at 13:57 of the second period.
The Red Cross was operating emergency shelters at the Roanoke and Salem civic centers for people without electricity, but as of 6 p.m. there were only a few takers.
Winter's last weekend delivered the biggest snowstorm to hit Roanoke since 1983, and the first real blizzard for at least the nine years that Harry McIntosh has been chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
"I've been in Nebraska and I know what a blizzard is really like," McIntosh said. "I recognize one when I see it."
Before calling a snowstorm a blizzard, weather watchers look for three things: winds of 35 mph or more, considerable falling or blowing snow, and visibility of less than a quarter-mile.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday, Patrick County had the most snow, with 25 inches and drifts up to 10 feet deep. McIntosh said the snowfall at Roanoke Regional Airport was 16 inches at nightfall, with snow still falling.
And even when the snow tapers off, blizzard-like conditions were expected to continue with blowing snow caused by winds of up to 50 mph. The wind-chill factor was expected to dip to minus 20 degrees or colder.
Especially hard hit were the New River Valley and parts west; blowing snow forced state highway crews to close Interstates 77 and 81 west of Wytheville.
"We had so many tractor-trailers bogged down in the middle of the road that we couldn't make any progress," said Dan Marston, district maintenance engineer for the state Transportation Department's Bristol district.
"We're doing all that we can, but we've been losing progress all day long."
All secondary roads in the Bristol district were considered closed; highway officials didn't bother to put up barricades.
"I don't think anybody could see them if we did," Marston said.
At one point Saturday, as many as 16,000 people had lost electricity because snow-burdened trees fell across power lines, according to Appalachian Power Co.
Gusting winds knocked down lines as fast as workers could put them up.
"We're up and down," said Tobie Eaton, an Apco Roanoke division manager. "We get people back on and then another tree comes down and takes them out."
As of 6 p.m., about 10,000 customers were still in the dark in an area that included the Roanoke Valley and Patrick and Henry counties. "We will work right through until we get everything back up," Eaton said.
For people who didn't want to wait, emergency shelter was available at the Roanoke and Salem civic centers.
Wanda Reed, coordinator of Roanoke's emergency services offices, requested assistance from the National Guard in providing four-wheel drive vehicles to transport the snowbound.
Although only a few people took advantage of the services in the Roanoke Civic Center, Salem's was more busy because of a dog show that went on despite the weather.
Many of the exhibitors found themselves - and their dogs - stuck at the civic center when competition ended Saturday.
"A lot of them come from the South and they're not used to this - not that we are," said John Saunders, assistant director of the civic center.
"They were all screaming that they had to have a place to stay tonight. It's Army cots and blankets, but they're happy to have them."
Throughout the day Saturday, travel was limited to people with tire chains, four-wheel drive and a sense of adventure.
The Roanoke airport was closed all day. "We're just sitting here looking out of the window, just like everybody else," an air traffic controller said. A quick glance at his radar screen showed: "There's not an airplane within 120 miles of Roanoke right now."
In downtown Roanoke, traffic was so light that pedestrians walked down the middle of streets, where the occasional car had plowed a path.
Laura Bullock, spokeswoman for the state Transportation Department's Salem district, said more than 800 workers were available to drive the snowplows.
But the snow was so deep that plows alone couldn't cut it. Highway crews also used graders, front-end loaders and even dump trucks to haul the snow away when it became piled too high on the roadsides.
"We've got the big guns out," Bullock said.
Highway officials said traffic was surprisingly light, with only the desperate and the foolhardy staying out for long.
"Most people realize that even if they have to go somewhere, it's hopeless," Marston said.
The weather was enough to make the U.S. Postal Service think twice about that slogan that mentions rain, sleet or snow.
No mail was delivered Saturday in the Roanoke and New River Valley areas, as well as parts of the Shenandoah Valley.
Paul Oliver, superintendent in the Postal Service's Roanoke office, said Saturday's non-delivery was the second time in 25 years carriers have been unable to make their rounds because of weather.
Oliver said postal vehicles weren't allowed on the roads because they lacked the proper tires or chains.
Mike Hill, an emergency room official at Montgomery Regional Hospital, said there had been no serious weather-related problems there. A few people reported chest pains from shoveling too much snow, and there was one report of food poisoning apparently caused by some home-cooked pizza.
In the Konnarock area of Smyth, Grayson and Washington counties, snow had exceeded 3 feet by midafternoon and was still coming.
Gov. Douglas Wilder declared a state of emergency Friday night and authorized the Virginia National Guard to help with emergency operations in various localities.
U.S. Army Reserve and rescue squad units in Smyth County were using emergency vehicles to help officers in the Smyth County Sheriff's Department reach stranded motorists and problem areas. Dispatchers in Marion were having to pull double shifts of 16 hours because some of their relief dispatchers could not get to the sheriff's office.
Radio stations found themselves off the air with weather-related problems in Wytheville, Pulaski and Christiansburg.
The Bland County Sheriff's Department reported a minor accident in the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel on Interstate 77, but no injuries.
The roof of the Dedmon Center at Radford University collapsed, although it was not clear whether the snow was to blame.
Both Radford and Virginia Tech students got an extended spring break when officials canceled Monday classes.
In Wise County, about 12 people were stranded Saturday on High Knob Mountain and rescuers continued to attempt to reach them, authorities said.
In Galax, the roof of an old warehouse on Washington Street collapsed and damaged some campers and mobile homes stored inside.
A spokesman at the Galax Police Department said the extent of the damage was not known Saturday, because the precarious nature of the rest of the roof kept anyone from going in to investigate.
In the 4th State Police Division, covering Southwest Virginia, dispatchers reported average snow accumulation over the region of 18 to 20 inches by afternoon. Depths were expected to increase.
A lot of drifting hampered roads in Giles and Grayson counties.
Throughout Southwest Virginia, police and rescue workers were a bit surprised at the low number of motorists on the roads and, as a result, relatively few accidents.
"You always have some that are adventuresome and want to get out," said Danny Hall, Salem fire chief and coordinator of the city's emergency services. "But for the most part people are staying in."
Some information in this story came from staff writers Paul Dellinger, Kathy Loan and the Associated Press.