Winter storm shuts down North Carolina

As a winter storm shut down the state last week, many UNC-system school students enjoyed a day off from classes.

At least 15 of the UNC system’s 17 universities canceled classes because of the snow.

North Carolina entered a state of emergency last Tuesday, and Gov. Pat McCrory warned people to travel only if necessary.

“The state was well-prepared, our responders performed admirably and citizens largely heeded our warnings to stay off the roads,” McCrory said in a statement Friday.

The storm had caused several thousand power outages across the state and forced 43 counties to declare local states of emergency.

Several people in the state died due to storm-related incidents, like traffic collisions and black ice.

Highway patrol troopers responded to about 10,500 calls last week alone — a normal week yields around 800 calls a day.

The N.C. Department of Transportation said 3,100 employees responded to the effects of the storm statewide, laying out nearly 40,000 tons of salt and sand-salt mix.

Due to the storm, UNC-CH canceled classes after 1 p.m. on Wednesday and all day Thursday and Friday.

Colleges across the state canceled classes for some or all of the later part of the week.

Alina Baugh, a UNC-Charlotte sophomore, said she was relieved that her schoolwork was delayed as a result of the storm.

“I got to spend time with my family, watching movies, sledding, building snowmen,” she said.

The Triad area, which encompasses Greensboro and Winston-Salem, received some of the heaviest snow in the state — with 13 inches accumulating from Feb. 10 to 16, according to the National Climate Data Center.

At UNC-Greensboro, freshman Breana Hayden said her classes were canceled from noon Wednesday through Friday.

“At first I was happy, until I realized I was paying for it and was going to be behind in a lot of classes that I really need,” she said.

She said dining services closed early, and some nights she had trouble finding food.

Hayden said snow was starting to melt off roads and sidewalks on Friday.

“We could’ve had classes on Friday. It was kind of pointless,” she said.

James Crane, an Appalachian State University freshman, said his classes were canceled from Wednesday at lunch to Friday morning at 10 a.m.

“I was pretty excited because it was the biggest snow I’ve seen in years,” he said.

He said because it snows often in Boone, carrying out his daily routine was not an issue.

“Dining halls were the only things open,” he said. “Even the library was closed.”

Crane said the snow did not put him behind on his schoolwork, and he was glad classes were canceled.

“It was a lot of fun, everyone was out building jumps, sledding, and snowboarding and stuff,” he said.

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