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As Snow Batters Southern Tier, States of Emergency Declared - Spectrum News

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Snow continues to fall Thursday morning in parts of the Southern Tier, and setting records along the way.

Earlier this morning, the National Weather Service in Binghamton reported a snowfall total of more than 39 inches — 25.5 of those since midnight, and 44 inches in Newark Valley as of 8:30 a.m.

A trained spotter tells Spectrum News that 45 inches have fallen in Vestal. The NWS' 7 a.m. measurement in Binghamton stood at 39.6 inches.

The storm has shut down I-81 northbound between Castle Creek and Whitney Point, according to State Police.

It's expected to be the biggest December snowfall on record when all has fallen.

Broome County declared a state of emergency early Wednesday evening, and the city of Binghamton is also under a state of emergency, with city offices closed, according to a statement from Mayor Rich David.

Plow drivers have been out in full force like usual, even if the planning process has been a little different this time around due to the coronavirus. The Broome County Sheriff's Department has been using a Humvee to transport people to the hospital, having already made a number of drop-offs.

"Normally for the Emergency Operations Center, everybody comes together," said Broome County Emergency Services Director Mike Ponticiello. "We hear the weather briefing from the NWS together and talk about our county plan. All that is being done virtually. Everybody is watching the briefing individually and then we're getting on and having conference calls and Zoom to formulate the county plan."

“When you’ve got snowfall falling at a rate of four to five inches an hour, it’s almost impossible to keep up with it, and that’s why we all work together," County Executive Jason Garnar said. "I was talking to Mike in our emergency operations center; you’ve really got all your chess pieces in this together and sometimes you have to move them.”

Despite the storm, neighbors are lending helping hands. Endwell's John Taylor decided to grab his shovel and trudge through waist-level snow to check on a family member.

He says says it’s been decades since he saw this much snow, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

“I think we always have a good heart for everybody," Taylor said. "I was just talking to my neighbors on my side of the road, and everybody’s out trying to help each other and just do good things for each other.”

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As Snow Batters Southern Tier, States of Emergency Declared - Spectrum News
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