After a day of winter weather conditions consisting of sleet and snow statewide, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has officially declared a state of emergency due to traffic conditions.
TEMA released a statement just before 10:30 p.m. Monday indicating that interstate conditions have deteriorated quickly, leading to traffic backups on widely used roadways, including Interstate 40 and Interstate 24.
In addition to hazardous traffic conditions, more than 55,000 customers statewide are without power in 19 counties, TEMA officials said in a media release.
TEMA has requested the Tennessee Army National Guard deploy a 10-person crew including five Humvees to perform welfare checks on drivers, specifically in Humphreys County in a traffic backup 12 miles on I-40 East. TEMA will also be providing water and ready packs to the drivers in the I-40 backup.
Roane County in East Tennessee has also requested the assistance of five chainsaw crews from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and Williamson County has requested additional salt trucks for the exit at I-65 North and I-840 East.
Substantial traffic backups have been reported at I-40 East from Hickman County to Humphreys County for 12 miles. Interstate 24 East will be closed from exit 96 to I-840 due to crashes and backups on the roadway earlier in the day.
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To contact news editor Meagan White, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com
