CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Emergency Manager C.W. Sigman said what several hours of freezing rain left behind has been the biggest challenge of this week’s winter storm.
Sigman said the weight of the ice knocked down a numbers of trees and tree limbs break power lines.
Sigman said Appalachian Power is doing a good job with restoration efforts but he is concerned about frigid temperatures that are in the forecast.
“People have a couple of days without power and as temperatures get colder–we probably need to find shelter for them. So we’re working on some of that,” Sigman said Tuesday.
Overnight lows are expected to dip down into the teens later this week.
“Friday morning will be the coldest morning,” Sigman said.
Appalachian Power hopes to have most of the power back on in Kanawha County by Wednesday night.
Sigman said some residents without power have reached out to county officials.
“We’ve had a couple people report to us that they’re running out of fuel. They have propane heaters and kerosene heaters and they are running out of fuel,” he said.
Sigman and other county officials are watching another storm system that could bring snow Friday night into Saturday.
“The Weather Service said we’ll get snow. They haven’t quantified how much yet. We’re watching that very closely,” Sigman said.