A “debilitating” snowstorm is expected to hit a dozen states across the Eastern US from Saturday night to Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
The announcement prompted emergency declarations in Virginia, South and North Carolina, and Georgia where forecasters predicted snowfall of up to 5 inches throughout the weekend.
Shortly after news of the upcoming extreme weather emerged, crews with the transportation departments in the involved states began preparations, treating roads and checking on equipment.
Many stores in the Midwest region were left stripped bare of goods, and winter supplies; something not seen in a couple of years for an Abbeville, SC hardware store owner.
“We’re selling everything you might expect: sleds, but also salt, shovels, and firewood. People are worried.”
His point was shared by an Atlanta business owner whose store ran out of heaters, salt and sand by Friday: “I think the pandemic has made people more anxious than normal,” he said.
