Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 27, 1993 TAG: 9302270275
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JESSICA MARTIN and SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
THE SNOWSTORM WASN'T SO HOT
Although some roads weren't cleared by Friday morning and the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed, Western Virginia's anticipated snowstorm wasn't so stormy.The advance hype about the storm was more dramatic than the 4 to 10 inches of snow that fell beginning Thursday evening.
Virginia had not had a substantial snow since 11 inches fell in December 1989. The National Weather Service even advised that people should stay home because they might have forgotten how to drive in snow.
Weather officials were concerned that roads would become icy Friday night, but generally the state's roads were passable during the day.
The parkway may be closed until Monday, but Ranger Richard Morefield said crews were trying to reopen the section between U.S. 460 and U.S. 220.
A five-mile stretch on the parkway just south of 220 has been designated as a winter recreation area. Morefield said the area was open for snowmobiles, cross-country skiing and sledding.
Roads were cleared by midday Friday to the Peaks of Otter vacation lodge in Bedford County, where all 62 rooms were filled, said front-desk worker Ronny St. Claire.
There was one weather-related traffic fatality reported in the state. Judy B. Johnson of Harrowgate, Tenn., died at a Kingsport, Tenn., hospital after her car skidded out of control on U.S. 58 in Lee County Thursday night, state police said.
Lt. Ramey Bower, who supervises the traffic division of the Roanoke Police Department, said accidents in the city seemed to be at a minimum.
"Everybody's been pretty good," he said. "I think everyone was well-prepared."
Salem police received just one accident report between midnight and 2 p.m. Friday.
Judy Tullius, general manager of the Tanglewood Mall, said that considering the conditions the shopping center was fairly busy.
"We didn't have our morning mall-walkers, but there were some families coming in."
Valley View Mall also was open for business, and staff said they had more people than they expected.
The snow gave some businesses an excuse to close, not expecting enough sales to make it profitable to stay open.
Friday, many small retail shops in downtown Roanoke stayed locked and so did some restaurants.
Howard's Soup Kitchen opened but staff cooked less food, expecting fewer than the usual 400-person lunch bunch. But, among the diners who did show was Congressman Bob Goodlatte.
Maybe the wimpy stayed home, but Howard's was packed with Applachian Power Co. employees.
Tom McCauley drove 30 miles, from near Ferrum, to open the state Alcoholic Beverage Control store he manages on Jefferson Street.
Nick Varelos came from Blacksburg to clear the walk in front of the Church Avenue building he and his father bought last fall and will someday turn into a restaurant.
"I didn't want us to be the only one with the sidewalk not shoveled," he said.
Roanoke city employee Doris Morgan had the same length lunch hour as ever. She works for the city that weather never closes.
"We don't close for nothing," said Angie Parker from behind the lunch counter in Heironimus' basement.
If the buses run, Heironimus opens, another worker said.
Two Dominion Bankshares workers, shopping at lunchtime, said they had no trouble getting to their jobs, either. They said they were inspired by the company's snow policy: "Come to work, take a day of vacation or don't get paid."
If there was a wimp out there Friday, it was Blue Cross and Blue Shield. First, the company said it was opening late; then it said it wouldn't at all.
A phone recording said the insurance company closed because of the "heavy snowfall in the Roanoke area."
Staff writers Ron Brown and Charlyne McWilliams the Associated Press contributed information for this story.