Hundreds of motorists were stranded overnight in snow and freezing temperatures along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 after an accident involving six trucks in Virginia, where authorities were still struggling to catch up Tuesday. .
Stranded motorists included NBC News correspondent Josh Lederman, who spoke on NBC’s Today show Tuesday via video from his car, with a dog in the back seat.
He said he had been trapped about 30 miles south of Washington DC since 8 p.m. Monday.
“I have no food or water. I have gas, but how long is that going to last? Lederman said.
The collision on Monday afternoon caused no injuries but brought traffic to a standstill. It became impossible to move as the snow accumulated. Hours passed and hundreds of motorists posted increasingly desperate messages on social media about the lack of fuel, food and water.
“I think the word is dystopian,” Lederman said. “We started to see many drivers turning off their cars to save gas, people running out of food and water, children and pets hiding for so many hours, people letting their pets out of the car to try to walk with them on the street. And in the meantime, there are no signs of emergency vehicles that we can see.
“Now, you don’t know if that’s because they can’t get to where you are, but you really start to think if there was a medical emergency, someone who ran out of gas and without heat, you know it’s 26F (- 3C) and there’s no way to that no one can get to you in this situation. “
Emily Clementson, truck driver, He said NBC Washington “had never seen anything like it” and urged stuck drivers to ask truck drivers if they have food or water to share, as many carry extra supplies in case they get stranded.
The Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, tweeted that his team responded overnight along with state police, transportation, and emergency management officials.
“An emergency message will be sent to all stranded drivers connecting them to support, and the state is working with localities to open warm-up shelters as needed. While sunlight is expected to help … clear the road, all Virginia residents should continue to avoid I-95. “
Virginia State Police said they had not received any reports of deaths or injuries related to the storm. However, surrounding authorities have reported that the storm has caused at least five deaths, including two women and a man who died in Maryland after their vehicle crashed into a snowplow Monday night.
In Tennessee, a seven-year-old girl died after a heavy snowfall caused a tree to fall on a house. Another boy, a five-year-old boy in Georgia, died after heavy rain and wind caused a tree to fall on a home near Atlanta.
Crews in Virginia were working to remove stopped trucks, clear snow, de-ice the road and guide stranded motorists to the closest exits along the main north-south highway on the East Coast of the United States, said the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Both Northam and the state transportation agency have come under fire for the response. Some have urged Joe Biden to mobilize federal resources to rescue stranded drivers and reopen the highway.
“I’ve been on I-95 South for over 24 hours. This is crazy. Nothing is being done, 911 is not very helpful, nor is the Virginia State Police. And the state has yet to contact the National Guard. Crazy “, a user tweeted Tuesday morning
During the first storm of the year in the mid-Atlantic, between 7 and 11 inches of snow accumulated in the area, according to the National Weather Service. Thousands of accidents and stranded vehicles were reported throughout central and northern Virginia.
As of 3:30 p.m. Monday, state police had responded to more than 2,000 calls for service, Free Lance-Star reported in Fredericksburg.
Other stranded included Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine. The Democrat and former vice presidential candidate tweeted Tuesday morning that he has been stuck in traffic for more than 19 hours.
“I started my normal two-hour drive to DC yesterday at 1:00 PM.” wrote, adding that “19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol.”
His office contacted state officials to “see how we can help other Virginians in this situation,” he said.
Federal government offices in Washington DC opened Tuesday after a three-hour delay.
Compounding the challenges, traffic cameras went offline as much of central Virginia lost power during the storm. More than 281,000 customers were without power on Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us.
Earlier Tuesday, the state transportation department said crews “were mobilizing now to begin moving people detained on the interstate out of nearby interchanges and onto alternate routes.” adding that motorists should avoid interstate travel “until the lanes reopen and significant congestion clears the area.”
The state police had warned people to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.
“Due to heavy snowfall concentrated in that area, road conditions quickly became dangerous for commercial and passenger vehicles,” police said. “VSP soldiers, saboteurs and VDOT crews continue to work as fast as the weather and roads safely allow for jammed vehicles to clear and traffic to move again on I-95.”
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism