The heaviest winter storm season in decades will make it difficult to balance budgets in the Washington, DC area.
In the District, transportation officials had set aside $6.2 million for snow removal this year, but spent $4 million on the December 18 blizzard snow storm alone, District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle told the Washington Examiner.
“We’re over it,” Lisle said of the budget. “I don’t know how much, but we’re over it.”
In Virginia, the state normally sets aside $70 million to $80 million to cope with winter storms. This season, that numbers has been pushed well past $100 million, according to Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Even so, money will be moved from maintenance and repair accounts to clear highways and keep police on the job, McDonnell said. And with still more foul winter weather expected, it will deepen the budget hole Virginia already faces.
Just three weeks into his term, the governor on Wednesday declared a weather emergency for the second time to put state transportation, police and emergency personnel on alert for the winter storm.
His predecessor, Tim Kaine, did the same thing for a heavy mid-December winter storm.
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"Under the best of circumstances, it's going to be a tough go," McDonnell said, urging Virginians to hunker down at home and stay off the roads. "This is a very dangerous storm and it's going to get much worse tomorrow."
What's worse, the snowfall from the past two weeks in western Virginia now presents a threat for serious flooding in a week to 10 days when snowmelt in the state's mountains sends runoff into creeks and rivers, McDonnell said in an interview.
Maryland is facing similar issues.
The state budgeted about $60 million to keep roads clear this season and already has spent about $50 million of that, said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
The big December snowfall cost the state about $27 million, and the governor is expecting this one to cost at least that much, which means more budget balancing in a tough financial year.
The governor said it would take about 28 inches of snow for Maryland to qualify for federal disaster assistance.
Maryland officials are also aware of the potential coastal flooding on Maryland's Eastern Shore due to the big snowstorm, O'Malley said.
O'Malley issued a declaration of emergency just before noon Friday. He has urged residents to avoid driving except for the most urgent reasons.
National Guard units have been deployed around the state to help local emergency managers. Some 200 soldiers and airmen are on duty, according to the National Guard. About 100 Humvees are positioned around the state.
