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Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday that state officials are preparing for more winter weather this weekend and that it may risk Richmond’s progress in restoring water to residents.
Central Virginia has a moderate likelihood of getting at least another 2 inches of snow by Saturday, according to the National Weather Service Wakefield.
“Accumulating snow, which will likely impact travel, is looking increasingly likely across the region Friday night into Saturday,” the agency said in a post on Facebook. “Specific amounts and details may continue to change in the coming days.”
Winter Storm Blair caused nearly 900 car crashes, including two that killed three people over the weekend, Youngkin said as he addressed the media at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Emergency Operations Center on Wednesday.
“We are still under my emergency declaration, and so our resources are still fully available to deploy,” he said in regards to the weather forecast for Friday and Saturday. “This storm will most likely impact, again, almost all of the commonwealth just like the one we had.”
Forecasts for the coming storm have less snow totals than Winter Storm Blair. At its peak, 120,000 Virginians lost power, according to Youngkin, who added there are still approximately 12,000 residents without power in the commonwealth.
Virginia National Guard troops were put on standby statewide in preparation for that storm — five “teams,” according to Youngkin — but did not assist in addressing the water outage in Richmond.
The governor said the state was first informed of the capital’s water situation mid-afternoon on Monday.
“This situation has lasted a lot longer than people originally had thought,” he said in response to a question about why the Virginia National Guard was not deployed earlier.
He said he expected “the whole process” of bringing back water services to normal to last into Friday at the earliest, which echoes what Mayor Danny Avula said at a Wednesday press conference. That includes the restoration of pressure, and then two rounds of testing to clear the water being safe for drinking.
Youngkin encouraged Virginians to call 211, or also 311 if they reside in Richmond, if they need water.
The governor, who is entering his last year in office, said “everyone is frustrated” with the water outage in Richmond causing work at the General Assembly to be delayed.
The Legislature did convene the 2025 session on Wednesday, but quickly adjourned until Monday due to the lack of water because it posed health and fire safety risks in government buildings.
“There are a lot more important issues with this water crisis right now. We've got families in the city that don't have any water,” he said. “We'll get the work of the people done. But what's most important right now is we serve the people in Richmond and the surrounding areas.”
