By Sarah Mansheim
Winter Storm Jonas dealt an icy blow to the Greenbrier Valley last weekend, but luckily, the area came out of this winter’s first major snowstorm relatively unscathed.
With plenty of warning about the upcoming snowstorm, locals were able to stock their pantries and get ready to hunker down by the time snow started falling Friday morning. Several governmental agencies shuttered their doors – the Greenbrier County Courthouse and Ronceverte City Hall were closed Friday, and Lewisburg City Hall closed at 12 noon. Several shops and restaurants opted to close as well.
Also on Friday, the Greenbrier County Commission declared a state of emergency, enabling the local Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to secure state resources. Sixteen emergency shelters were poised to help anyone impacted by the storm in the event of widespread power outages.
On Friday evening, 282 Mon Power customers were without power in White Sulphur Springs. Mon Power reported a total of 370 customers without power across the state on Friday night.
Snowfall totals varied around the county. By Sunday morning, 15 inches of snow was reported in Asbury, 16 inches were reported in Ronceverte and 18 inches were reported in Alderson. Twenty-seven inches fell near Renick and 24 inches fell in Anthony Creek near White Sulphur Springs.
In Lewisburg, city crews began clearing snow in earnest on Sunday, and were still working on side streets on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, save for some icy patches on sidewalks and roadways, everything was passable.
Greenbrier County school children lost three days and change thanks to Jonas: school was dismissed three hours early on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and closed the following Thursday, Friday and Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week yielded two-hour delays.