Record December storm wallops Waynesboro
ROSANNE WEBER/STAFF
People walk in the street Saturday to get through the snow in downtown Staunton.
Pickup trucks, snowplows and pedestrians ruled the roads Saturday as the central Shenandoah Valley’s largest December winter storm dumped two feet of snow on the region.
Emergency crews frequently abandoned ambulances on calls to neighborhood streets and firefighters and police responded to a never-ending stream of calls from stranded motorists.
Yet authorities in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County reported no serious injuries on the roads.
Virginia State Police, who responded to more than 1,300 crashes statewide, reported one traffic fatality in Carroll County. Several hundred motorists in western Virginia had to be rescued by four-wheeled vehicles and Humvees driven by the National Guard, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency.
Snowfall topped 22 inches from Greenville to Staunton to Waynesboro, according to the National Weather Service.
“This is a classic nor’easter,” weather service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said. “It’s intensified very rapidly.”
Weather records dating back more than 100 years could not turn up a storm like this one, Jackson said.
“Plows and four-wheel drives are about the only way to get around,” said snowplow driver George Lawson, who spent Saturday morning clearing the parking lot at Invista.
Waynesboro Public Works Operation Superintendent Dave Randall said that by Saturday morning his crews were still “pushing the primaries.” Side streets had to wait. Many became one-way as trucks on the roads wore deep ruts.
“We had trouble when the snow first started [Friday] because everyone was trying to go home,” Randall said.
“Most people are staying home, as they should,” he added.
Waynesboro Fire Department Capt. Kenny Hyden said his trucks were able to get around without many problems. The Waynesboro First Aid Crew had become stuck a few times, Hyden said, at times receiving snowplow assistance.
A medical call came across the emergency scanner as Hyden spoke.
“That’s going to be one of those tough places to get to,” Hyden said of the call to a home on the east side of the city.
Waynesboro police Cpl. Kevin Miller said officers helped whomever they could, including providing a ride to a hotel and transporting medicine.
Dominion Virginia Power reported few outages in the area.
Pedestrians toting shovels and wearing bags over their boots traveled mostly by road, often laughing while knee-deep in snow.
“It’s some beautiful stuff out here,” said Burl Bridge, of Magnolia Avenue.
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Reader Reactions
Something to be clarified here, so the citizens of Waynesboro are wondering if patient care was ever compromised during “their frequent abandoning of their units” as your paper put it…...
Units were NEVER abandoned; they did, however, get stuck at times trying to make it to a patients home. Even when they did get stuck, another unit came out to take over the call to ensure patients were taken care of, but at NO TIME did emergency personnel abandon their ambulances, someone was always with the unit until it was pulled back to the road and operational again. All medical calls were answered by WFAC and WFD.
Yes, this is a right good snow. When I was in University in Morgantown in 1950 we had a deeper snow. Unlike this it was wet and heavy at 42 inches. There the city could do nothing much about the streets for about a week. Here the city has done a good job. They are to be complemented.
Since this is the Waynesboro website why don’t you show a picture of Waynesboro instead of Staunton or both ???
I’ve been monitoring the Fire Rescue Channel and I am totally impressed with the diligence and dedication of the Police, Fire, and Rescue crews…including the National Guard. Bravo! Gary Curto - Nevada
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