Northern Virginia counties prepare for possible snowstorm as state leadership changes

STAFFORD COUNTY, V.a. (FOX 5 DC) - With more snow possibly on the way in Virginia this weekend, counties are trying to avoid the catastrophe we saw earlier this month on the I-95 corridor, including Stafford County where it took some residents days to dig out of the snow.

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Last week, many people were stuck for hours in their vehicles, roads were still covered in ice days after the storm and some residents didn't get power until six days after the storm broke.

Now, Stafford County leaders are preparing for another potentially major storm and hope to avoid last week's disaster.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Stafford County residents still without power; secondary roads covered in ice

"Making sure that we have a plan in place should something happen like it did last week on 95," says Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Crystal Vanuch. "Who are we calling? What is the protocol? How do we deploy those resources? How are decisions being made? And at what point is it appropriate for us to be calling local emergencies, state emergencies and have everybody ready to be deployed? Those are conversations that are happening right now as we transition through the administration."

The timing of the storm is tricky with the change in Virginia's leadership happening on Saturday.

The storm could hit on Sunday, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin's first full day in office. However, officials hope there can be a state of emergency declaration before then to allow the state to deploy salt trucks and emergency response vehicles to local counties in need.

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Governor Ralph Northam could declare a state of emergency on his last full day in office if the weather models stay on track, but it also could be up to Youngkin once he takes office.