NORWICH - Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman George Seneck has declared a State of Emergency for Chenango County effective at 5 AM today (Tuesday, April 19, 2022) due to the major winter storm. A Travel Ban will be in effect beginning at 5 AM and will continue until further notice. Also, Chairman Seneck has ordered the closure of all County buildings and offices for Tuesday, April 19th.

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 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,” Sececk said. “I encourage residents to check in on their neighbors, particularly senior citizens, during the storm.”

The National Weather Service continues a Winter Storm Warning for Chenango County. According to the National Weather Service, approximately 6 to 12 inches of wet heavy snow, with isolated higher amounts, has accumulate throughout tonight. Higher amounts have fallen in the higher elevations causing trees and power lines to come down. The storm will be accompanied by wind gusts as high as 30 mph later this morning, increasing hazardous travel as additional power outages are expected. Multiple local Fire Departments along with all County and Local Highway Departments have been out since early this morning attempting to clear and plow the roadways. Due to numerous trees and wires down throughout the County are making maintaining the roadways open, difficult. Currently, according to NYSEG, there are over 7,500 people without electricity throughout the County due to numerous reports of trees down.

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

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.