Virginia state agencies responding to a severe snowstorm that stranded hundreds of motorists along Interstate 95 in January collectively lost what a report called “situational awareness” amid the growing gridlock
RICHMOND, Va. — — Virginia state agencies collectively"lost situational awareness" and failed to keep up with growing gridlock duringoffered suggestions for improving future emergency responses, it did not ascribe blame to any single person or agency. It noted first responders faced unusually heavy snowfall, heavier-than-normal traffic and COVID-19-related staffing shortages — all in a highway corridor notorious for congestion in the best of circumstances.
No deaths or injuries were reported from the gridlock near the nation's capital. But the monster logjams fed outrage among motorists, some of whom were stranded overnight Monday, Jan. 3, into Tuesday, Jan. 4, posting pleas for help on social media. The queue of traffic continued to build and by 3 a.m. that Tuesday, numerous clusters of disabled cars and tractor-trailers were scattered along a 40-mile stretch of I-95 in both directions, the report said.
Information also flooded in from social media posts but responding agencies didn't have a plan for using those “non-traditional data sources” to form an operational picture, the report said, adding, “information was not conveyed to agency leadership in real time.” The report addressed questions frequently raised in the immediate aftermath of the snowstorm, including why then-Gov. Ralph Northam did not activate the Virginia National Guard.
The report also addressed questions raised about why more direct assistance to the stranded motorists was not provided. State officials considering that concluded the best strategy was to stay focused on clearing the highway, it said.Youngkin said in a news release that the report showed “the previous administration’s leadership did not properly prepare or communicate.”
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