Haslam raises emergency level after snow and ice causes accidents, outages across the Tennessee

Snow and ice over Friday night wreaked such havoc on roads and power lines across the state, causing so many accidents, outages, and road closures, that Gov. Bill Haslam declared a Level II emergency, which is considered a "major disaster."

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in a release Saturday that more than 50,000 customers in 12 counties lost power, and more were expected. The Volunteer Energy Cooperative also reported that 38,000 customers in its 17-county service area were without power Saturday, almost 20,000 of whom were in Cumberland County.

"The decision was based on the current threat situation to areas around the state, as well as continued cold temperatures and snow projected in certain areas," TEMA spokesman Dean Flener said. "There are still significant life safety issues around the state."

The state had been in a Level III state of emergency since Feb. 16. Winter storm warnings last week initially fell short of predictions, but ultimately brought near record-low temperatures and slick conditions that played a role in 21 weather-related deaths across the state.

Going to Level II means that the event will "likely exceed local capabilities and require a broad range of state and federal assistance," according to the state code. Flener said the governor made the decision after conferring with TEMA Deputy Commissioner David Purkey.

He said the Cumberland Plateau area reported the heaviest impact, with significant damage and power outages reported in Cumberland, Fentress, Overton, Putnam and White counties.

State officials have been coordinating the disaster response, he said. The Tennessee National Guard was conducting wellness checks in White County, the Tennessee Division of Forestry had chainsaw crews in Putnam and Cumberland counties clearing debris, and the American Red Cross and the Tennessee Department of Human Services were coordinating mass sheltering and feeding efforts.

In Chattanooga, the 2 inches of snow that fell in the evening hours Friday combined with the low temperature to create patches of snow and ice on the roads. The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported several multiple-vehicle crashes on nearly all major access roads around the city Friday night, including Interstate 75 north and south, I-24 east and west, and State Route 153 south.

Chattanooga police responded to some minor crashes and weather-related incidents "but no more than as expected compared to previous weather events," police spokesman Kyle Miller said in an email.

Crews work to clear the road in this TDOT photo.

Signal Mountain was virtually inaccessible for hours, with wrecks clogging U.S. Highway 127 up the mountain and the closing of the W Road on Friday after a broken water main sent floodds of water to flow down the road in freezing temperatures. Roberts Mill Road was also closed Friday.

The weather's impact was evident to Hamilton County dispatcher Mary Caldwell, who said a large portion of the calls she took Friday night were car accidents.

"Oh yeah, I'd say 60 to 70 percent of my calls were accidents," Caldwell said.

Lt. Christie Phillips of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said that Friday morning through Saturday night, THP responded to 58 car crashes and 89 calls for assistance on the roadway.

"Grundy, Coffee and Marion counties had a lot of crashes due to the mountains and a lot of jackknifed trucks because of the ice," Phillips said.

Both Phillips and Caldwell said they took far fewer calls about car accidents on Saturday.

But Jennifer Flynn, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Transportation in the region, said that by late Saturday, crews were cleaning up slush and finishing tree removal in Districts 28 (Dunlap and Tullahoma) and 29 (Chattanooga), and the majority of the roadways in those areas were "wet and clear."

With continued rain and low night-time temperatures tonight and into the week, TDOT advised taking continued precautions on the road, including driving slow and keeping a safe distance from other vehicles.

Contact WillHealey at whealey@timesfreepress.com, or 423-757-6731.