Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Declares a State of Emergency Ahead of Second Winter Storm; Urges Motorists To Be Careful

Virginia Gov. Northam Greets Early Voters In Fairfax — FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 19: Virginia Governor Ralph Northam speaks to members of the media after he greeted voters outside an early voting location at Fairfax County Government Center on October 19, 2020 in Fairfax, Virginia. Virginian voters can vote early at their local registrar’s office from 45 days before Election Day to the Saturday before Election Day. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam expresses his concern for all state residents following reports of another snowstorm.

On Monday, Virginia experienced a massive snowstorm, and some residents and business owners are still recovering from it. But just three days later, another snowstorm is expected to hit the state.

As such, Northam was forced to declare a state of emergency in Virginia so that heads of executive branch agencies could more easily get into contracts for services without going through normal procedures required by the state.

Gov. Ralph Northam releases statement

In his statement, the governor said that Virginia is prepared to handle snowstorms and the state also has more than enough supplies. But a back-to-back snowstorm is something that they did not anticipate.

"Having two bouts of snow and icy weather back-to-back makes it more likely communities will need additional help as they continue to recover from the first round of tree-snapping wet snow and ice that we saw Monday," Northam said via WTOP.

Virginia Department of Transportation urges everyone to be careful

The Virginia Department of Transportation also reminded motorists and residents to be careful on roadways if they need to travel. Otherwise, everyone should stay home.

They also reminded residents to avoid nonessential travel and be extra cautious since black ice and generally slick conditions could plague the roads.

Uber rider stuck on roads during snowstorm charged $600

One Uber rider is also making headlines after being charged $600 after getting stuck on an icy stretch of Interstate 95 in Virginia this week.

According to Fox 8, the Uber rider named Andrew Peters was returning from San Francisco from the Dulles International Airport. But due to the snowstorm, the vehicle he was riding in got stuck on the icy road for hours.

Following a nine-hour trek. Peters managed to reach his home and was forced to pay $200 for the ride. An additional $400 was also charged to Peters.

However, reports confirmed that Uber refunded the full amount to Peters, and the company also promised not to deduct any amount from the driver that catered to the passenger earlier this week.

Virginia experiences surge in COVID-19 cases

Other than the snowstorm, Virginia is also dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases.

On Tuesday, over 7,000 new cases were reported by health officials. A day later, the new cases reached over 10,000, and it's expected to keep increasing in the coming days.

According to WHSV, Virginia already had 1,186,888 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday.

The Virginia Health Department reports a 30.2 percent 7-day positivity rate for total testing encounters and a 32 percent 7-day positivity rate for PCR tests.

On Wednesday, nine additional deaths were also reported, leaving Virginia's death toll at 15,631.

As of press writing, Northam has not announced new restrictions and mandates despite increasing the number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia.

He previously eased down some of the restrictions for social gatherings starting from May 15, 2021. At the time, social gatherings, entertainment venues, recreational sporting events, alcohol sales were already permitted.