EAST NEW MARKET, MD - Residents across Delmarva are continuing to navigate treacherous road conditions after a snowstorm blanketed the region, leaving smaller towns like East New Market and Hurlock in Dorchester County struggling with ice-covered streets.
While major highways such as Route 50 and Route 331 remain largely clear, secondary and neighborhood roads have proven hazardous, forcing many locals to spend hours digging out their vehicles.
“So it’s been a total inconvenience, we haven’t been to work for like two days,” said Kenneth Stanley, a Hurlock resident. “You know, we're business owners on this block, my wife herself had to do a callout for two days just because we couldn’t get out. So, of course, we have to do it by hand, shovel everybody out one car at a time.”
For others, the storm has complicated everyday tasks.
“So I actually have to go pick up my sister just because she’s not able to drive in the snow,” said Izzy Juarez, Stanley’s neighbor. "It’s kind of making it hard to pick her up in time. And it’s been making it difficult just to get from point A to point B. Like I had an appointment this week that I had to cancel, things like that.”
Healthcare worker Leticia Diaz said the icy roads have made her job more difficult, especially with a partner who commutes long distances.
“I work all over the place. I work in health care, so I get called where I need to go. And my boyfriend works in the D.C., Virginia area, so he’s got a significant drive,” said Diaz, a resident of East New Market. “Of course, they didn’t get as much as we did here, but him actually getting over there to work is going to be a hurdle.”
Truck driver David Walls said the conditions forced him to miss work.
“Lost two days of work. I’m a truck driver, and with the way the roads are, I decided to stay home today,” said Walls, who lives in East New Market. “Just making sure I don’t have a heart attack in all this snow that we’ve gotten.”
As residents work to clear their driveways and vehicles, officials remind drivers to exercise caution on the roads and allow extra travel time as they return to work.
