The fallout from the 27-hour snow-in on Virgina's I-95, which trapped hundreds of drivers and made national headlines, has not been kind to outgoing governor Ralph Northam, who at times has blamed drivers for the mess, apologized, and expressed frustration.
But drivers, politicians, and social media users alike continue to criticize Northam's response to the crisis.
The Virginia Department of Transportation began warning drivers online about the state's first winter storm as early as Jan. 2, this past Sunday: "If you need to travel tonight, remember to check road & weather conditions BEFORE you leave the house," one such warning read, as reported at Overdrive sister publication CCJ.
By Monday Morning, cars and trucks had already begun to get stuck.
Then on Tuesday: "We know many travelers have been stuck on Interstate 95 in our region for extraordinary periods of time over the past 24 hours, in some cases since Monday morning," said Marcie Parker, Virginia Department of Transportation Fredericksburg District Engineer. "This is unprecedented, and we continue to steadily move stopped trucks to make progress toward restoring lanes. In addition to clearing the trucks, we are treating for snow and several inches of ice that has accumulated around them to ensure that when the lanes reopen, motorists can safely proceed to their destination."
"We gave warnings, and people need to pay attention to these warnings, and the less people that are on the highways when these storms hit, the better," Northam told the Washington Post on Tuesday, as plows and tow trucks were still clearing the roads.
But Northam's response fell flat as social media, and major media headlines flooded with stories of everyone from Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to motorists stuck in frigid cars with little food and nothing to do but wait.
