JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Much of the central and southeast United States is bracing for what could become a historic winter storm starting tomorrow. Justin Hicks from the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom (ph) reports people in Kentucky are preparing now since their state lies directly in the path of the storm.
JUSTIN HICKS, BYLINE: Keith's Hardware store in Louisville, Kentucky, is busy. Store manager Emily Martin says everyone coming in wants the same things.
EMILY MARTIN: A lot of salt and a lot of shovels, for sure. Gloves, hats, all the hand warmers - almost sold out of those earlier. It seemed like today was, like, all right, everyone's like, let me go get all my stuff.
HICKS: Nancy Carter (ph) was one of the customers racing in after work to buy pet-safe salt and sand to keep in her car to help with traction in the upcoming snow. Forecasts over the past few days have ranged from just a few inches to more than a foot.
NANCY CARTER: Somebody told me 10 inches. Once it - if it could be, then you must be prepared.
HICKS: Carter is one of many bracing for a huge winter storm that's expected to blanket states from Texas to Maryland in snow. Points for the South could see dangerous ice and freezing rain. National Weather Service meteorologist Samantha Wilson says part of what makes this storm so significant is that it could linger over some areas.
SAMANTHA WILSON: So it's a long event. We're talking maybe close to 48 hours of snowfall. And as the system kind of wavers and moves across the area, that snow may change over to ice or freezing rain.
HICKS: Wilson says snow is preferable to ice. But in some areas, the sheer amount of snow could still overwhelm infrastructure and weigh down trees near roads and power lines, and below-freezing temperatures could stick around for a while.
WILSON: And this will definitely bring an impact to our road systems, our utility systems and just general daily life. So preparing for this storm is imperative.
HICKS: In many places, state and local emergency management crews are doing just that. Governors in many states have already issued states of emergency ahead of the storm to get resources in place. Kentucky's emergency management director, Eric Gibson, says road crews and the National Guard are on standby to help clear driving paths. Forestry teams are ready to cut tree limbs and state parks are making arrangements to provide warm shelter.
ERIC GIBSON: We work hard to stay in front of those things, so we're quick to respond when there is an issue.
HICKS: Gibson says people can help by stocking up on food, medicine and fuel now while the skies are clear. For NPR News, I'm Justin Hicks in Louisville, Kentucky. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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