ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Glen Needham owns a lawn care service, but this weekend, he’s trading his mower for a snowplow.
“I guess this day and time you have to wear many hats," said Needham, who's run his business for 16 years.
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a state of emergency for North Carolina ahead of a winter storm expected to bring snow to the central and eastern parts of the state.
Cooper said the state is activating National Guard troops to help counties with transportation and other needs, and he encouraged North Carolinians to grab essentials for the next few days, including groceries.
It appeared to be a busy day at the Food Lion on S. Hughes Boulevard, as people likely stocked up on items to avoid conditions in the coming days.
The Food Lion parking lot is one of up to 40 privately owned lots Needham's company, K-9 Lawn Care, and contractors expect to plow throughout Elizabeth City.
“We’ll have about 16 people on the ground shoveling. We have salt trucks that will be out spreading," Needham said.
His team placed flags along the routes to help with visibility while they plow.
“With the amount of snow that’s coming and the snowdrifts and stuff like that, we just want to make sure we have these flags out here and it will make it a safer place for everybody," said Needham.
Brian Parnell is the emergency management coordinator for Pasquotank County, Camden, and Elizabeth City.
His department is prepared to set up an emergency operations center with limited staffing to assist with 911 calls, depending on how long poor conditions last.
"See if we need to send emergency traffic out, or if we can send somebody out and sort of be the eyes on the ground so to speak," he said.
Parnell said his office has been in constant communication with local agencies to make sure everyone is on the same page.
“If you don’t need to be out, don't travel," said Parnell.
Elizabeth City State University is shutting down all non-mandatory operations on campus and canceled all classes Thursday evening and all of Friday.
This comes as students recently returned to campus in the New Year following a
"And of course, just as we get past a recent COVID surge, we are dealing with weather," said ECSU spokesperson Stephanie Marquis. "What we wanted to do is make sure our students and faculty and staff are safe."
Needham expects he has his work cut out for him, but he is ready to hit the ground running.
"We will plow and de-ice, then plow and de-ice and plow again," he said. "As many times as it takes to get the job done, you know, you need services we’ll do it.”
By issuing the state of emergency, Cooper said it not only helps to mobilize state resources but lays the groundwork for any potential federal reimbursement.