BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
MARTIN COUNTY — Winter Storm Blair unleashed heavy snow and ice across the region Sunday and Monday, bringing travel to a standstill and leaving thousands without power.
By Sunday afternoon, roads had become impassable, prompting Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty to declare a state of emergency and limit county road use to emergency and essential traffic. The declaration followed a statewide emergency order issued Saturday by Gov. Andy Beshear in anticipation of the storm.
“I’m ordering all county roads closed except to emergency traffic,” Lafferty announced Sunday. “We’re expecting up to three-quarters of an inch of freezing rain and ice over the next two hours. Roads are impassable right now, and no one should be out on them for the time being.”
Lafferty consulted with Kentucky Emergency Management officials before taking action, expressing concern over the storm’s potential impact on critical infrastructure.
“It looks like it’s going to get bad,” he said. “I worry about the power lines.”
The storm delivered as predicted, with snow, ice, rain, freezing rain and sleet blanketing the area, followed by dangerously cold temperatures.
Nick Endicott, director of Martin County 911, reported snow accumulations of 5 to 7 inches across the county. Ice totals were lighter, averaging “just a few tenths of an inch,” he said.
State and county road crews began plowing and salting on Sunday and have worked around the clock to clear roadways.
The storm wreaked havoc on the power grid, with fallen trees snapping power poles and downing lines. At the storm’s peak, thousands of residents were left in the dark throughout the region. As of Tuesday evening in Martin County, 1,441 customers remained without power—757 with Big Sandy RECC and 684 with Kentucky Power.
The National Weather Service warned Tuesday of bitterly cold air in the storm’s wake, forecasting wind chills near or below zero by dawn Thursday. Light snow accumulations were also possible Friday into Saturday.
Judge Lafferty urged residents to take precautions against the cold.
“We have warming centers at the Martin County Senior Citizens Center in Inez and the fire departments at Pigeon Roost, Turkey and Warfield,” he added.
Residents in need of assistance or transport to a warming center can call Martin County 911’s non-emergency line at 606-298-3211.
At the Inez warming center, Madison Mooney, a volunteer, expressed gratitude for the community’s outpouring of support.
“It’s lunchtime here, and within the past two hours, residents who live close to the Martin County Senior Citizens Center have brought us tons of good food to eat,” she wrote in a social media post Monday. “Too many people to reference, but you know who you are. Honestly, I started to tear up with the love and support that has been brought to us here. The family here is beyond grateful and blessed (and so am I). As of now we have plenty of food for the family and myself plus anyone else who walks through that door.”
Mooney reported assisting at least seven individuals by Monday evening.
The storm also disrupted local schools, which were closed Monday and Tuesday. Martin County Schools announced closures would extend through Thursday, with students required to complete assignments remotely on Wednesday and Thursday as NTI days.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk and his team worked Tuesday to clear snow and ice from the government center’s parking lot and walkways. Offices are expected to reopen Wednesday.
