travel Archives - Talbot Spy

Talbot County is continuing to monitor winter weather throughout the day. Talbot County is currently under a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. Residents can expect heavy snowfall, high winds, and freezing roadways. If you do not need to travel during this storm, residents are urged to stay off the roadways.

“Emergency responders and road crews are responding to many incidents throughout Talbot County,” Brian LeCates, Talbot’s emergency services director, said in a press release. “We can expect to see more downed trees and outages through the afternoon with high wind gusts and heavy snow.”

This storm started out as rain early this morning and transitioned to sleet then snow by daybreak. The National Weather Service is predicting eight to twelve inches of snow for Talbot County. There are six inches of heavy wet snow in Easton as of 12 p.m. The snowfall is expected to end by 5 p.m. The storm is forecasted to produce wind gusts between 30-40 mph. Following this storm will be very cold temperatures into the teens this evening. Refreeze after this storm into tomorrow remains a concern.

Heavy intense snow is causing low visibility and hazardous driving conditions. Talbot County is experiencing many downed trees, which could result in downed electric wires as well. There were 819 homes without power at 12 p.m. Along with downed trees, there are several disabled motorists along roadways. Refer to local power outage maps for updated information throughout the day (links below).

Talbot County is operating under the snow emergency plan, which means roadways need to be cleared of any vehicles in order to allow county road and State Highway Administration to treat and plow roads. It is imperative that travelers drive with caution to allow road crews and emergency responders to do their jobs safely.

The Talbot County Department of Emergency Services and its response partners continue to closely monitor this system and ask people in the community to do the same. Talbot County is coordinating with local and state partners, and is prepared to respond with resources as needed.

Talbot County DES recommends that citizens take the following precautions:

• Avoid traveling until snow ends and roads are cleared. Don’t Crowd the Plows.

• Keep your devices charged and only use generators outdoors and never in a garage should you lose power.

• If you do go outside:

Dress in warm clothes and layers
Use rock salt to melt ice on walkways
When shoveling snow, stay hydrated and push the snow aside, don’t lift

• Never touch downed wires

• Review winter emergency plans

• Check on your neighbors

• Download the Talbot DES App to report any hazards

Resources for weather and outage information:

For more information on how register for Talbot County Citizen Alerts to receive local weather alerts, visit the Talbot Department of Emergency Services website at www.talbotdes.org.

In a pre-holiday message designed to prevent a spike in post-holiday coronavirus cases, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) Thursday said the nationwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and the progress on Capitol Hill toward passing a COVID-19 relief package are reasons for optimism this holiday season.

“There are rays of hope,” Hogan said during a State House news conference Thursday evening.

But Hogan conceded he was not sure what to make of national media reports Thursday suggesting that some states won’t be receiving all the doses of the COVID-19 vaccines that they were anticipating.

Some of Hogan’s fellow governors told media outlets late Wednesday and Thursday they had been told that their states’ second allotments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine next week had been reduced, without explanation. The confusion prompted Pfizer, which developed the first COVID-19 vaccine now ticketed for health care workers, first responders, nursing home residents and other frontline workers, to release a statement Thursday afternoon seeking to avoid a panic.

“Pfizer is not having any production issues with our COVID-19 vaccine, and no shipments containing the vaccine are on hold or delayed,” the company’s statement said. “This week, we successfully shipped all 2.9 million doses that we were asked to ship by the U.S. Government to the locations specified by them. We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses.”

Hogan at his news conference said the state was trying to get some clarification from the federal government and the company about allotments for Maryland, but pointed out that federal officials planned to provide states with weekly vaccine delivery “projections” every Friday.

“It’s not going to impact our first batches, for the first week or two, which were the only ones that were essentially cast in stone,” he said of the reports of possibly reduced shipments. “…Hopefully, it will not have a big impact on the second round.”

Hogan asserted that every hospital and nursing care facility in the state would have vaccines in hand by next week, if they haven’t received them already.

Hogan used the news conference to announce that he had issued an emergency order to curtail travel in and out of Maryland. Under the order, Marylanders who travel out of state must either receive a negative COVID-19 test result or quarantine for 10 days before returning. The same would be true of out-of-state residents visiting Maryland.

Washington, D.C., Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania are exempt from the order — and Hogan said the state won’t aggressively enforce it.

“Our strongest defense against this virus continues to be the vigilance and cooperation of the people of Maryland,” Hogan said, repeating statements from previous news conferences that family gatherings continue to be the worst spreaders of the coronavirus.

“Our theme is home for the holidays,” he said.

Hogan said he has also issued a public health advisory, lowering the limit on group gatherings in the state from 25 to 10.

While Congress continues to debate a COVID-19 aid package — which at the present does not include the $160 billion in direct aid to state, local and tribal governments sought by congressional Democrats — Hogan announced an additional $180 million in emergency state relief for families and small businesses.

The governor also signed an emergency order extending the state’s moratorium on foreclosures to Jan. 31.

The new aid package includes:

$50 million for hotels and hospitality businesses, which would be paid from the state’s dedicated emergency rapid response fund. It will be distributed by local jurisdictions and can be used for payroll expenses, rent, and utilities.
$30 million in additional relief for bars and restaurants, bringing to $80 million the total of state aid earmarked for the restaurant industry. Local jurisdictions will also distribute this money and Hogan encouraged local governments to match this investment where possible.
$15 million in additional relief for entertainment venues, which will be distributed through the state’s Main Street program at the Maryland Department of Housing, which brings that total to $35 million.
$5 million for rural businesses, especially tech businesses in the state’s rural counties.
$40 million to boost the state’s Temporary Cash Assistance benefit. This will boost a recipient’s monthly benefit by $100 for each of the next six months — and should reach more than 66,000 needy Maryland families, Hogan said.
$40 million extra for disability care providers. This will be achieved by beginning a scheduled 4% increase in state reimbursements on Jan. 1, six months ahead of schedule.

Hogan said he also would push for more COVID-19 relief during the upcoming General Assembly session, which is scheduled to begin on Jan. 13. The legislature’s presiding officers, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), also have said that providing help for struggling families and businesses is their top priority for the 90-day session.

By Josh Kurtz

Talbot County Responds to Winter Storm

Hogan, in Pre-Holiday Safety Message, Sees ‘Rays of Hope’ in Battle Against Virus

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