ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that he has sent a team of workers from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to assist in emergency snow removal efforts in New York. The team includes 28 ODOT workers, 12 tandem dump trucks, two utility mechanic trucks, and four crew cab pick-up trucks, and is made up of highway technicians, mechanics, and managers from District 4 (Akron), District 11 (New Philadelphia), and District 12 (Cleveland). The team is traveling along Interstate 90 to western New York and will receive their route assignments from local authorities once they arrive.
The New York Emergency Management Agency made the request for personnel and equipment through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a national mutual aid system that allows states to legally share resources during declared disasters and emergencies. The ODOT team will work two 12-hour shifts and return to Ohio on Tuesday, January 3.
“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.”
ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks added, “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.” ODOT has a statewide fleet of nearly 1,600 plows and will maintain enough plows and drivers for winter operations in Ohio during the deployment.