CINCINNATI — As a winter storm continues to affect the entirety of Ohio — and arctic cold is on the way — we spoke with Gov. Mike DeWine, who told us how the state has been handling the snow and how his state of emergency declaration has benefited the state.
DeWine said a state of emergency declaration, which he issued Saturday afternoon, allows Ohio to not only have more resources but to let residents know how serious the storm is.
Watch our full one-on-one with Gov. Mike Dewine below:
"Well, first of all, I think it's the messaging. It tells people how serious things are. ... It certainly was the right thing to do," he said.
The governor said the best news is that drivers across the state are not going out into the snow Sunday.
"It's just a fraction of the traffic that we would normally expect, and that's a good thing," DeWine said. "People listened, and think they've really hunkered down, if they could."
Even with the low number of drivers out and about in Ohio, DeWine said Ohio State Highway Patrol told him there were 635 disabled vehicles around the state so far this weekend. Last weekend, only 52 disabled vehicles were assisted by OSHP.
In terms of injuries, DeWine said OSHP reported 16 injury crashes this weekend compared to two last weekend. Crashes without injuries skyrocketed from 30 last weekend to 200 so far this weekend, he said.
The governor also said there was one reported fatality Sunday, when someone was accidentally run over by a vehicle that was reversing.
"You can just see how treacherous it is out there when someone is out there," DeWine said.
As the snow begins to move out of Ohio, DeWine said the state's concern now shifts from the snow to the bitter cold weather that will be sticking around for the next week or so.
"People are not used to this. It's not what we deal with," he said. "We're not used to that, and we're not used to the wind and, you know, the wind can dramatically change your ability to stay out very long. So, people just have to be very, very cautious."
The governor's biggest message for Ohioans was to stay inside if you can.
"We just want everyone to be as cautious as they can, be as careful as they can, and if you don't have any reason to get outside, don't go outside," he said.
