Hardy County Communities Stepped Up During Storm
By Stephen Smoot
Usually viral videos from the Potomac Highlands feature natural wonders or adventure tourism. During the storm that blasted the region from January 24 through 26 and its aftermath, videos of sleet flowing down mountains almost like water and extreme road cleanups took center stage.
With travel dangerous and the weather uncertain until it happened, those whose jobs lie in helping out during storms were on call. But officials also gave kudos and sincere appreciation to the public at large.
“Most people did what they were supposed to do. They stayed indoors and stayed off the road,” explained Paul Lewis, Hardy County Office of Emergency Management Executive Director. With the extreme cold accompanying the bizarre precipitation patterns, driving or even working outside could bring on rapid and serious health problems or injuries.
Lewis also reported “no major issues” with first responders getting to calls., saying “we stayed on top of it.” Around the area, calls were lower than normal. Officials expected that to change as residents started getting out to clean up and traversing the hard, but unsteady ice layers. Lewis expressed worries of the ice causing injuries as well.
Mayor Betsy Orndorff-Sayers of Wardensville gave “huge thanks to the State Road people” who diligently cleared the roads leading to and through the town. “A huge shout out to the staff who helped people outside of town,” she added.
She then shared how a motorist got stuck trying to drive up Sand Field Road and that Ed Klinovski set out to help dig the car out. Orndorff-Sayers noted that Town workers were also “helping with water line issues folks had.” Volunteers also set out to assist those who had gone to local social media pages to request help.
Town crews working hard to help also ranged through Moorefield as the storm receded.
“The Town of Moorefield would like to commend the Public Works and Parks employees for all of their hard work,” shared Lucas Gagnon, Public Works Director. He added that the efforts took place during and after “this extremely difficult and dangerous storm.”
As Gagnon described, “they have worked long hours to keep the streets safe for the citizens of Moorefield as well as assisting the Hardy County Department of Highways with removing snow from Downtown and Winchester Avenue.”
He also praised the West Virginia Department of Highways for “outstanding, as usual” cooperation with Town officials and crews. Additionally as the precipitation clears or melts, “storm drains will be cleared as well.”
Churches and community service organizations pitched in as well. Pastor Mark Flynn of Duffey Memorial United Methodist Church in Moorefield shared that “we did check on many of our members by phone and by email” and helped one individual find a place to stay. Moving the service to Saturday to keep attendees safe resulted in “a good turnout,” but those who still could not make it enjoyed it on WELD.
“I was glad that we were able to get the word out in all of these ways,” he said, then shared that he regretted that “we could not find a way to have our youth meeting or our AWANA meeting for children this month.”
Eastern Action’s Family Resource Center did not open its doors with an impassable parking lot until Friday, but as director Ryan Runions shared, they remained on call “if a need did arise from a current customer or anyone else in the community.
Gagnon reflected the thoughts of all officials whose purview included storm response, saying “we want to thank everyone for their kindness, patience, and understanding.”
