(The Center Square) – With some areas getting more than 5 feet of snow on the ground since Thanksgiving and more expected in northeast Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency for four counties.
Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake counties continued to attempt to dig out from days for lake effect snow, with several more inches expected Wednesday night, along with squalls and wind gusts of more than 40 mph. Forecasters are also calling for potential gales across Lake Erie.
“In addition to the support the state has already provided, we anticipate that more state resources will be necessary as the week progresses,” DeWine said. “This proclamation readies our state agencies to assist the impacted counties without delay.”
The declaration orders every state department and agency to lend services, equipment, supplies, and staff to help in the response and recovery effort.
DeWine said the Ohio Department of Transportation continues to work on snow removal from state and local roads throughout the northeast corner of the state. The Transportation Department relocated both staff and heavy equipment from nearby counties that were not impacted into the hardest hit areas to help local crews clear major streets and allow access to hospitals.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol also dedicated additional staff to respond to crashes on state roads, as well as to support local law enforcement with traffic crashes on local roads as needed.
In Ashtabula County, nine loaders and 18 dump trucks have been deployed, while four loaders and six dump trucks have been sent to Lake County. Currently, the Transportation Department has 157 trucks in all four counties.
As of Sunday, 33 crashes were reported in Ashtabula and another 14 in Lake. Geauga County had only six crashes, according to troopers.