Right, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) speaks to the media on Sunday following Winter Storm Jonas at McConnell Public Safety and Transportation Operations Center in Fairfax. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) visited the Fairfax County Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, Jan. 24, following the worst of Winter Storm Jonas to be updated on the state of the county in the blizzard’s wake.
“This was a major snow event,” McAuliffe said. With 13,000 pieces of equipment and 9,500 personnel in operation since Wednesday afternoon, the Governor said the storm is costing the Commonwealth of Virginia $2-3 million per hour. When all is said and done, costs could top out at $100 million, he said.
McAuliffe said he declared a State of Emergency Thursday, the first state to do so, which enabled weight limits on roads to be lifted and heavy equipment deployed, as well as calling up 700 men and women in the U.S. Army National Guard.
“Now we’re going to hit our secondary streets, and hit ‘em hard,” he said.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova said that despite the resources being used by Virginia and Fairfax County, residents were needed to help with clearing miles and miles of sidewalks.
“Now we begin the great dig out,” Bulova said. “And it’s important for us to be patient, patient, patient. That really is the message of the day.”
As of press time, Virginia Department of Transportation expected to have cleared at least one lane throughout the Commonwealth; its website with plow locations is available at www.vdotplows.org.