Some crews from Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) are creating teams with the National Guard. DelDOT crews will not only provide a plowed path to people’s homes who have called for transport to shelters, but also provide the local knowledge of the best route to get to a certain home or neighborhood.
The electric companies have restored power to many blacked-out areas, but some problem sports are still blocked by snow, making repairs impossible. To help, DelDOT has dispatched private contractors with bulldozers, tractors and plows to work directly with the electric companies, clearing the way for wherever the electric crews need to go.
DART buses are expected to operate tomorrow. However, some of the bus shelters and sidewalks may be covered in snow. Paratransit is working with the National Guard to transport dialysis to their appointments.
In Sussex County plowing crews were temporarily recalled to their maintenance yards when near white out conditions made it impossible for drivers to see, posing a risk to their safety. Crews will be taking a break to rest up, coming off the roads about 11:30 p.m. and resuming work around 5 a.m. on Sunday.
“Our first priority is the safety of our own personnel,” said DelDOT spokesman Jim Westhoff. “We don’t want to endanger them in any way while they work to make the roads safe for others. They are the true warriors in this storm as they’ve been fighting mother nature for more than 24 hours now.”
The State of Emergency declared by Gov. Jack Markell at 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 5, remains in effect until official notice is issued by the Governor’s office and Delaware Emergency Management Agency. However it has been modified to lift the driving restriction beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday night.
State officials are continuing to monitor weather and road conditions throughout the state; there is no indication at this time that it is safe to lift the State of Emergency completely, and residents with power are strongly encouraged to remain in their homes and not venture out.
Since the beginning of the storm, Delaware State Police have reported just six injury crashes, but 44 property damage crashes and an astonishing 235 reports of disabled vehicles. Even though snow has stopped falling, troopers say that road conditions are still making it difficult for them to respond to complaints and ask for the public’s patience and cooperation. “What this tells us is that not everyone listened to the Governor’s Executive Order,” said Andrea Summers spokesperson for the Office of Highway Safety. “The public’s safety is our priority. Even though driving restrictions have been lifted, we urge people not to take to the roads tonight and Sunday just for the purpose of sightseeing so crews have more time and easier access to clear roads. Please don’t endanger yourselves or others unnecessarily.”
One of the greatest challenges resulting from this storm has been widespread power outages particularly in Delaware’s Central and Southern counties. Approximately 38 thousand households were without power on Saturday evening, most in Kent and Sussex Counties. New Castle County seemed to be the least affected, with Delmarva Power reporting just 21 households without power. Of the remaining households without power, most of them were in Sussex.
Both Delmarva Power and Delaware Electric Cooperative say that the excessive amounts of snow that has fallen has hampered power restoration efforts. According to Delmarva Power spokesperson Bill Yingling, “Our first priority is public health and safety and that we are restoring service as quickly and safely as possible to customers who are without service. We do, however, expect that this will be an extended event and that this restoration could last at least several days in some areas. We appreciate the patience of our customers and community leaders as we work together to recover from this storm.”
Delaware Electric Cooperative personnel say they have been severely hampered by the snow covered roads and are advising their members without power to consider their need to relocate to an emergency shelter in Sussex or Kent County because the restoration effort will be a multiple day event. Crews from states as far away as Connecticut and North Carolina are heading to Delaware Electric Coop to assist them with their power restoration efforts on Sunday.
If you determine that you need emergency shelter, there are 4 shelters opening in Kent and Sussex County, including at Miford Middle School, at 612 Lakeview Drive.For information on the shelters or to request transportation to one, call the Kent County Emergency Operations Center at 735-3465.
There are three other shelters in Kent and Sussex Counties:
Kent County:
Dover High School
1 Pat Lynn Drive
Dover, DE 19904
Sussex County:
Sussex Central High School
26026 Patriots Way
Georgetown, DE 19947
Cape Henlopen High School
1250 Kings Highway
Lewes, DE 19958
If you need transportation to a shelter in Sussex County, call the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center at 856-7366. The Delaware National Guard has also been assisting with transportation to existing shelters in each county throughout the day using their Humvees and will likely continue to do so as families without power decide to seek shelter.
Two hundred and seventy five Soldiers and Airmen are currently deployed throughout the state with 75 vehicles (wreckers, LMTVs and Humvees) supporting emergency operations centers, fire houses, EMS, and law enforcement. They have been working 50 different support missions ranging from emergency worker transport, moving abandoned vehicles, assisting stranded motorists, recovery of ambulance and fire trucks, medical aid transport, and law enforcement transport.
