Winter Weather Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Safeguarding Against Winter Wandering In People With Dementia

In light of recent winter weather, national and local dementia specialists encourage caretakers to reinforce safety precautions for loved ones who are prone to wandering.

As another West Virginia winter roars on, state and national specialists remind residents to reinforce safety precautions for their loved ones with dementia.

Individuals with dementia face more safety risks in periods of inclement weather, like the snowstorms that swept the Midwest and East Coast this weekend. Wandering away from home without preparing for low temperatures and icy conditions can increase the risk of falling, getting lost or becoming seriously injured outside.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) recently shared tips for taking care of individuals with dementia during the winter.

The AFA underscored the importance of keeping watch over home exit ways and developing a customized safety plan for each individual. These plans should take into account the makeup of a person’s home, the times of day when their condition worsens and the locations they might visit while wandering.

Taking advance precautions during spells of intense weather helps protect West Virginia residents with dementia, according to Joanie Maloney, family caregiver program manager for Kanawha Valley Senior Services.

Maloney explained that wandering can occur year-round, but that “it’s just a lot more on the dangerous side if the weather is extremely cold or extremely hot.”

Dressing loved ones with dementia appropriately for the weather — regardless of whether they plan to go outside — is another way family caretakers can reduce the risks of unexpected wandering, she said.

By providing these individuals cold-weather clothing and foot coverings, Maloney said that caretakers safeguard their loved ones from frostbite and other weather-related risks associated with cold-weather wandering.

“Definitely go ahead and dress them for the occasion,” she said.

Maloney added that the winter months are a good time to reinforce house locks and at-home safety features, ensuring that precautions are in place to support loved ones during the winter months and beyond.

“Safety is key,” she said. “ No one ever wants their loved one to be exposed to any kind of harsh weather, especially the cold.”

Winter Weather Covers West Virginia

West Virginia is under a Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service and a State of Emergency from Gov. Jim Justice.

The entire state of West Virginia is under either a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning.

“We have got a winter storm warning for much of our forecast area,” Simone Lewis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Charleston, said. “So pretty much the whole state of West Virginia has either got a winter storm warning or a winter weather advisory and that’s for late this evening, lasting through Saturday morning.”

Starting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 and lasting through 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Jan. 20 heavy snow is expected with a possible accumulation of four to 12 inches, depending on the region.

“We are expecting a general four to six inches, and that includes down in the southern coalfields also. And then once you get into the mountainous counties, we’re expecting eight to 12 inches,” Lewis said.

Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties ahead of the storm on Thursday afternoon. The State of Emergency allows state agencies to coordinate ahead of a possible weather event, including by pre-positioning personnel, vehicles, equipment and other assets.

“All West Virginians need to absolutely be ready for the potential impact this winter storm may bring to our state,” Justice said. “West Virginians should pay extra close attention to emergency officials and media outlets, and be prepared if there are power outages. West Virginians take care of one another, so make sure you check on your neighbors and loved ones, too.”

The wind chill is expected to be 16 degrees on Friday before it drops to -2 degrees on Saturday morning. Lewis said by Saturday, the heaviest accumulations will generally be over with.

“It’d be probably about mid to late evening and lasting through much of the day Friday,” Lewis said. “Saturday, the system will start to pull off to the east, but we will continue to see some lingering light snow shower activity across the state.”

The West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WV EMD) has been placed on standby to support the State Emergency Operations Center should the need arise.

EMD has posted non-emergency numbers for each county 911 center.

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) crew continues their snow removal and ice control operations.

“We are prepared for any snowfall event, whether it’s an inch of snow or a foot of snow,” said Joe Pack, P.E., WVDOH chief engineer of District Operations. “We attack each storm with the same level of importance of having every available truck on the road, with a driver in it, plow mounted on it, and salt in the back.”

Statewide, WVDOH has a stockpile of more than 231,000 tons of salt. A typical snowplow holds 12 tons of salt, enough to treat about 100 lane miles of road.

Winter Storm Brings Dangerous Conditions To The Region

Record cold and winter weather will be moving into the region over the next several days. Communities across the state are preparing to help the most vulnerable.

Record cold and winter weather will move into the region over the next several days. Communities across the state are preparing to help the most vulnerable.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Fred McMullen said the state is in for a trifecta of wind, snow, and a flash freeze as temperatures drop more than 30 degrees into the single digits overnight into Friday.

“There’s a concern for very icy conditions to develop very quickly, right around seven to nine [degrees] in the morning,” McMullen said.

He said wind has the potential to not only bring dangerous wind chills to the region, but also damage.

“Friday through Saturday night, we’re going to see wind chills not climb above zero until probably Christmas afternoon. So you’re looking at a period of, depends on where you live, 48 to 60 hours of sub zero wind chills consistently,” McMullen said. “We’re looking at wind sustained between 20 and 30 miles an hour with gusts of 45 to 55 miles an hour. We’re worried about downed trees, large branches and then also scattered power outages as well.”

Rev. Zac Morton of the First Presbyterian Church in Morgantown works with the mutual aid group Morgantown RAMP, a grassroots volunteer organization advocating for shelter in the community.

“[Mutual aid] it’s just a vocabulary word for a really simple concept of people pooling their time, energy and resources together to meet a need that’s noticed in the community,” he said. “We have kind of a collective responsibility to care for folks who are having kind of the hardest time that often fall through the cracks.”

Morton said the organization has distributed resources like tents to the unhoused population, but Morton said the extreme cold is dangerous.

“It’s the question of once you get cold, can you warm up again?” Morton said. “That’s really the main situation that we’re trying to avoid is people who get stuck in a position, in an environment where they are cold and can’t get warm again, and you get hypothermic, and I mean there’s a whole host of things that can happen.”

Morton said RAMP works with Morgantown’s warming shelter at Hazel’s House of Hope, which has already had more than 30 community members using it consistently. RAMP is also using grant money from United Way to ensure everyone has a place to get out of the cold.

“If people don’t fit particularly well into that collective warming shelter, for instance, we have seen quite a few families that come through, they’re better served by a hotel option,” Morton said. “Or people who have a health or medical condition, where they need to be kind of isolated to be able to take care of themselves, we have the hotel as a secondary option.”

Call or text 211 for help locating a warming shelter in your community.

State Of Emergency Declared Ahead Of Winter Weather

Gov. Jim Justice has declared a State of Emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties due to the winter storm forecast to hit the state in the coming days.

The National Weather Service predicts heavy snow, freezing rain, dangerous wind chills, and strong winds beginning Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, and continuing throughout the week and into the coming holiday weekend.

Justice had already declared a State of Preparedness on Tuesday in anticipation of the storm.

The State of Emergency allows state agencies, including the Emergency Management Division, the National Guard and the Division of Highways to coordinate ahead of a possible weather event, including by pre-positioning personnel, vehicles, equipment and other assets.

Justice urged West Virginians to be ready for the potential impacts of the storm.

“West Virginians should pay extra close attention to emergency officials and media outlets, and be prepared if there are power outages,” he said. “West Virginians take care of one another, so on this holiday weekend, make sure you check on your neighbors and loved ones.”

State Of Preparedness Declared Ahead Of Winter Weather

Gov. Jim Justice declared a State of Preparedness for all 55 counties in West Virginia Tuesday due to the winter storm event forecast to hit the state.

The National Weather Service predicts heavy snow, freezing rains, dangerous wind chills, and strong winds beginning Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, continuing throughout the week and into the coming holiday weekend.

The state Emergency Operations Center and its partner agencies are directed to prepare to respond to the impending winter storm, posturing personnel and resources to respond quickly should an emergency develop.

Justice and the Emergency Management Division ask all West Virginians to remain attentive to weather conditions through local media reports and follow any instructions issued by emergency officials.

Winter Storm Highlights Housing Issues In Morgantown

Meteorologists are predicting anywhere from one to seven inches of snow and wintry mix across the state tonight and into Saturday. The storm is a stark reminder of the dangers unhoused West Virginians face even as the region inches into Spring.

Community members in Morgantown have been gathering coats, sleeping bags and heaters for those who will be on the streets during the big storm.

Folks can get out of the cold and stay in the city’s warming shelter. But with space for just 28 people, housing advocates like Morgantown city council member Brian Butcher say it’s not enough to meet the community’s needs during this type of weather event.

“It’s heartwarming, and it’s amazing the level of support that people can get throughout our community,” Butcher said. “That level of support should not be required. In my opinion, we should have a structure upon which we could get people in housing during the winter, you know, even just a temporary shelter.”

Butcher spoke as part of a forum on warming shelters and winter resources hosted by the League of Women Voters of Morgantown and Monongalia County Thursday night, during which advocates discussed needed improvements in the city and state’s response to housing issues.

Executive director of Milan Puskar Health Right Laura Jones said that a single shelter is inadequate. Some people may not want to use a particular shelter for a variety of reasons.

“Those folks are always out there, there are always people that have difficulty with the rules or with the structure of the shelter,” Jones said. “It would be even better if we had an alternate space for people who don’t feel comfortable going to the current shelter.”

Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s Friday night and continue to drop into the low teens Sunday morning.