Update: a few days after the snowstorm channel 6 news was preparing to shoot a story outside of city hall when snow slid from the roof, fell several stories and crashed threw the glass canopy below. The lucky reporter had his camera in the right place at the right time.
Virginia was under a state of emergency as the second major snowstorm of the season slammed into Richmond yesterday dumping between 11 to 14 inches of snow across the area. In what is considered to be an uncommon event the entire state of Virginia was covered in snow by a single storm.
Traffic slowed to a crawl and authorities advised against any unnecessary driving during the storm. Between the hours of 6pm Friday and 5 pm Saturday Virginia State police responded to 1285 traffic accidents with 231 of those being in the Richmond area.
The Richmond International Airport was forced to cancel more than 100 flights Amtrak was brought to a stop and Greyhound buses scheduled to run through the Richmond station were suspended.
In what could be described as a cruel twist of fate Marnel Francois, a Haiti earthquake survivor, was among those stranded at the Richmond Greyhound station. Francois told the Richmond Times that he lost nine family members and two children he considered as family in the earthquake. He then made his way through the Dominican Republic to Miami where he caught the bus trying to get home to New Jersey.
Broad Street, a major route through downtown, is closed to all traffic from 14th street to 25th until further notice. The Boulevard Bridge was also closed until further notice.
Driving in many Richmond neighborhoods continues to be hazardous; it could be several days before plows reach some neighborhoods. In my experience the snow often melts before the plows get to the side streets. The snow is expected to stick around for a while, as temperatures remain low.
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