ASHTABULA, Ohio — As New York continues to clean up the aftermath of a deadly Christmas-weekend blizzard, Northeast Ohioans are jumping in to help.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Thursday that he has dispatched support from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to assist New York with the emergency snow removal efforts.
“ODOT snowplow drivers and mechanics have been remarkable during this Christmas winter storm,” said Governor DeWine. “We are happy to help our neighbors in New York state and know that they would do the same for us in Ohio if the situation was reversed.”
The ODOT convoy of 28 workers, 12 tandem dump trucks, two utility mechanic trucks, and four crew cab pick-up trucks left Ashtabula for their six day assignment
Among those team members, are highway technicians, mechanics and managers from District 4 in Akron and District 12 in Cleveland.
Once the ODOT team arrives, they will recive their route assigments from local authortities. Crews will work 12-hour shifts until they return to Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
“The men and women of ODOT are the best at what they do. I know they’ll work hard to help our neighbors in New York. At the end of the day, we’re all Americans,” said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks.
On Tuesday, the New York Emergency Management Agency made a request for personnel and equipment to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video at the top of the story previously aired on 3News on Dec. 28, 2022.