Belmont County Commissioners Declare State of Emergency

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OH -  

Belmont County, Ohio, commissioners Wednesday declared a state of emergency because of the area's recent snowstorms.

The declaration of emergency is good news for municipalities all over Belmont County, as well as county departments.

Belmont County Emergency Management Agency Director Dave Ivan said it means they can ask the state for assistance from various departments, the Ohio Department of Transportation in particular.

So far, the only one that's lodged a formal request is Martins Ferry, asking for help with snow removal.

Ivan emphasizes this is not an opportunity for individuals to ask for help -- just cities, townships and municipalities.

He said only a federal declaration of emergency would allow individual citizens to get help.

Ivan said before you can get a federal declaration, you must meet a list of guidelines, one of which is that the problem had to stem from a record or near-record snowfall for a single event lasting three days.

He said the snowfall in the Ohio Valley actually came from about three different snow events, so it's unlikely they will receive the federal declaration.