Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin transitioned his declared State of Preparedness to a State of Emergency Friday morning for all 55 counties in West Virginia.
The declaration allows the governor to mobilize additional resources to handle the severe weather.
“Because winter weather conditions are expected to become more severe over the next few days, I have transitioned the State of Preparedness declaration into a State of Emergency to continue deployment of key resources from the West Virginia National Guard, Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, Department of Transportation and other necessary agencies,” Tomblin said in a written statement.
Both the Department of Transportation and West Virginia National Guard began deploying those resources Thursday.
Tomblin’s declaration does not mandate the closure of schools or restrict travel, but West Virginians needing assistance are being encouraged to contact their local office of emergency management. Below are links to sources of additional information.