Kentucky, West Virginia Drag Through Winter Woes

Snow-weary residents trudged through deep drifts to reach Billy McIntyre’s country store in northeastern Kentucky Friday after a winter storm delivered heavy snow for a third straight day.

“I guess we have to live with it,” said McIntyre, owner of Judy’s Market near Flemingsburg. “Not too many people like it, but it’s just one of those things we have to live with.

“I’ve seen enough winter to do me.”

A third stormy day brought more snow to hard-hit areas of Kentucky and West Virginia. Thousands remained without electricity and driving conditions were still dangerous in many areas. Other eastern states struggled with flooding and beach erosion.

Much of Kentucky awoke to another burst of snowfall. As accumulations rose, so did hardships for weary crews fixing downed power lines, clearing clogged roads and hauling medicine, heating fuel and food to the stranded.

“The snow is pretty, but it’s really devastating,” said National Guard Spc. Kevin Keith, who cut through huge drifts and splintered trees in a Humvee to reach the snowbound in south-central Kentucky.

Nearly 500 National Guard troops were activated to carry out emergency missions and got their first requests Friday for delivering emergency food, said Bob Stephens, a state disaster official.

Many areas got about 6 new inches of snow Friday, but Oldham County - just northeast of Louisville - recorded 11 inches. A record 22.3 inches had fallen in Louisville since the storm began, easily surpassing the old mark of 15.9 inches in 1994.

An estimated 55,000 customers were still without electricity.

In Kentucky alone, at least 10 deaths were blamed on the three-day storm. At least 24 deaths were attributed to the storm since Monday, mostly in accidents on snowy or icy roads.

The latest fatalities in Kentucky were a 74-year-old man who collapsed Thursday while shoveling snow and a man struck and killed by an ambulance.