Storm closes highways, gov. orders probe

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell Friday ordered an investigation into the closure of large sections of major highways in the state due to ice and snow.

Rendell called the situation "unacceptable" and also ordered an independent review by former Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt, the Washington Post reported.

Interstate 81 and Interstate 79 remained closed in both directions Friday, more than a day after the storms, and Interstate 80 was closed eastbound. The National Guard was called in to rescue motorists who were stuck on the roads.

Steve Chizmar, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said there was no estimate when the highways will be reopened, but plows and salt spreaders were at work clearing the ice from the roads.

He said all of the people trapped in their cars during a 50-mile backup on Interstate 78 had been rescued, some after going 20 hours without food, heat or water.

Meanwhile, a fast moving storm was expected to sweep through the northern and Midwestern United States, including North Dakota.

The Weather Channel forecast light snow in North and South Dakota and the more northern regions of the Midwest. High winds exceeding 60 miles per hour could sweep from the northern Rocky Mountains to the Dakotas.