Gov. Ralph Northam tells WTOP that Virginia has all of its resources on the Interstate 95 closure.
Thousands of people have been stuck on I-95 since Monday, some for more than 20 hours as a huge snowstorm rolled through the region. The storm, according to NBC Washington meteorologist Doug Kammerer, was the worst since 2016, dumping sometimes 3 1/2 inches of snow an hour.
- Drivers trapped on I-95 for hours; avoid the interstate
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“We have all our resources on 95 trying to clear this,” Northam said.
“We’re doing everything that we can to get to them.”
Northam said the Interstate turned to ice overnight, making the situation more difficult.
“Obviously, VDOT folks have been working through the night,” he said. “And with the sun up now that will certainly help us, but we need to get people off the road. We have food, warming shelters in place, and we’re getting to these individuals as fast as we can.”
Northam said the National Guard is available, “but we haven’t called them to the state.”
“Let me just remind you and your listeners. This is one of the worst storms that we’ve seen in decades. There are a lot of trees down. It started as rain and snow and then a deep freeze after midnight, so Mother Nature is a force. And we’re going to do everything we can to protect Virginians, and folks that are traveling through this area,” Northam said.
Northam reiterated what WTOP Traffic has been saying since the start of the storm: “We are encouraging people to stay off our roads.”
