NORWICH - Board of Supervisors Chairman Lawrence Wilcox has declared a Travel Ban for Chenango County effective at 2 p.m. Friday, March 2, due to the major winter storm. The Travel Ban will remain in effect until 6 a.m., Saturday, March 3. 

“The County’s Emergency Management Office continues to monitor the storm closely and our public works crews and local law enforcement will make every effort to keep roads passable and safe, but we need all residents to stay off the roads during the state of emergency,” Wilcox said. “I encourage residents to check in on their neighbors, particularly senior citizens, during the storm.” 

The state of emergency declaration bans non-essential travel on all county and local roads.

This prohibition does not apply to: 

- Vehicles engaged in snow removal, sanding, salting, clearing and towing operations or those traveling to or from their jobs in relation to these duties; 

- Medical personnel enroute to or from their offices or hospitals for the treatment of patients; 

- Public employees designated as essential personnel by their employers or contractors retained by the government to perform emergency related services; 

- Utility operators and repair personnel; 

- Volunteers or employees of non-profit organizations providing emergency help associated with disaster relief, recovery, and assistance at the Direction of or with the authorization of the Director of Emergency Management of Chenango County; 

- Employees of healthcare facilities (hospitals, nursing homes); 

- Other employees deemed by their employer to be essential to business operations. 

The National Weather Service as issued a Winter Storm Warning for Chenango County until 1 a.m. Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, approximately 12 to 18 inches of snow, with isolated higher amounts, will accumulate through tonight, with the most falling now through the late afternoon. The storm will be accompanied by wind gusts as high as 45 mph later this afternoon, reducing visibility on the roads and creating the potential for power outages. 

“This is a dangerous storm and we encourage all residents to stay off the roads,” said Chenango County Emergency Management Director Matthew L. Beckwith. “We expect conditions to continue to deteriorate through the afternoon, making travel on the roadways dangerous. We are also very concerned about additional power outages as winds continue to increase.” 

As of 11:30 a.m. NYSEG reports over 200 of their customers are without power in Chenango County, most of them in the Town of Greene. 

For the latest updates and road conditions in the County, call (607) 336-TOGO (8646). Residents may also sign up for alerts by email, text or phone at: www.notifychenango.com.