Gov. Perdue Issues State of Emergency for North Carolina

Commends Residents for Heeding Warnings; Urges Continued Caution

RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue today signed an emergency declaration to help North Carolina recover from the snow and ice storms impacting almost all of the state. The declaration of a State of Emergency is the first step in seeking federal funds to pay for debris clearing, emergency utility restoration and other damages.

“Nearly all of North Carolina has received some type of frozen precipitation on the roadways,” Perdue said. “I continue to urge people to stay home, stay warm and stay safe.”

Much of the northern half of the state has received eight or more inches of snow and sleet so far. These areas can expect to get an additional four to five inches of frozen precipitation throughout the day. The mountains have received 12 to 15 inches of snow, while the Triad has had between six and nine inches of snow and sleet mix and the Triangle has seen four to seven inches of mixed frozen precipitation. The southern counties already have received between two and three inches of snow-sleet mix and can expect to get more throughout the day.

“We applaud everyone for heeding the warnings and staying off the roads,” Perdue said. “It's critical that we all continue to monitor the conditions and listen to officials' recommendations.”  

During a morning news conference, the governor also thanked road crews, law enforcement personnel, utility crews and emergency management officials for quickly responding to the winter storms by clearing roads, helping disabled motorists and restoring power outages.

Gov. Perdue activated the State Emergency Operations Center this morning to respond to and recover from this weekend's winter storm. Over the past several days, members of the State Emergency Response Team have been preparing for the inclement weather.

Overnight, 22 counties activated their local Emergency Operations Centers. In addition, 22 counties have declared local States of Emergency. Thirteen shelters were open across the state with a total of 62 occupants. Power companies reported approximately 44,600 outages across the state.

Since midnight, State Highway Patrol troopers have responded to nearly 1,800 calls; about 1,000 of those were collisions. The Patrol reported there have been no storm-related fatalities. The Patrol's 1,800 troopers remain on alert to help assist with stranded motorists.

Thirty-eight National Guard Soldiers will be working with local emergency management crews and law enforcement through the weekend to help with emergency medical services and traffic control. They also have several generator teams on standby and are prepared to assist with other recovery missions if needed.

Department of Transportation personnel began applying salt to the roadways earlier today. Crews will continue to plow roads throughout the weekend concentrating first on interstate and primary routes. In addition, eight Department of Correction crews and four N.C. Forest Service crews have been working across the state to help clear debris off roadways.

State Emergency Management Director Doug Hoell said 20 requests for state resources have been made and fulfilled. State supplies of chainsaws, generators, food and water are ready to go if needed, he said.

The National Weather Service cautioned that temperatures across the state will remain in the teens to low twenties throughout the weekend. Driving conditions are expected to be extremely hazardous throughout much of the day Sunday and into Monday morning as the sleet and ice refreeze and adhere to the roads.

Citizens are urged to contact emergency officials only for emergency situations.  Please do not call 911 or the State Highway Patrol for road conditions.  The lines must remain clear for emergency calls. To check road conditions, please visit the N.C. Department of Transportation's Traveler Information Management System at www.ncdot.org or call 511.