Response swift as the wind: Utilities, DOH, first responders restore power, access, safety across state quickly

You didn’t need to wet your finger and hold it in the air to know which way the wind was blowing from Sunday into Monday.
It was blowing down trees, power lines, signage and just about anything else it wanted to.
The weather system that passed through here then was packing almost continuous sustained winds of 15 mph to 40 mph with gusts 55 mph or highter.
Records showed gusts of 88 mph and 83 mph at and near Snowshoe in Pocahontas County on Sunday.
In nearby Tucker County, Canaan Heights saw gusts of 74 mph. Wheeling hit 63 mph, Martinsburg 66 mph, Elkins 59 mph and Charleston 54 mph.
Locally, unofficially some gusts appeared to reach the 50 mph mark or higher.
For much of West Virginia, Tuesday was another cleanup day of branches and debris from the wind storm
As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 10,000 West Virginians were still without power. That’s down from the nearly 100,000 whose power was affected by the storm.
Power companies expect to have everything cleared up by late today across the state.
Meanwhile, damage to roads by uncommon amounts of rainfall and the wind storm required the Division of Highways (DOH) to scramble.
Not only were trees and branches scattered across roads, but saturated soil caused numerous mud slides.
For now, DOH crews are no longer dealing with flooded roadways, though many still need to be inspected as the water recedes.
Public schools were closed in six counties Monday, including Preston, with individual school closures elsewhere and delays in more than a dozen others.
What we find amazing is that despite the widespread damage, the limits on outside help because of the scope of this storm and the sustained nature of these winds, everyone is safe and the power is restored.
We applaud the state’s utilities, who not only replaced poles and strung new power lines, but worked alongside the DOH and first responders to clear trees and overall assist otherwise.
Rather than this storm knocking the wind out of our sails, by all accounts it appears West Virginia got its second wind in a hurry.
And make no mistake, this recovery was not simply a result of luck or random circumstances. Indeed, these companies and agencies plan for such events.
Just as every homeowner should do the same to some degree to brave the next storm to come.
Though the forecast looks better for days to come the weather is subject to change in March and otherwise.
But to those whose response to such storms as this week’s never changes, thank you.