Patrick Declares State Of Emergency In Mass.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency as the season's first snow storm barrels into New England.

Patrick visited the Emergency Management Agency in Framingham Sunday and said the state of emergency began Sunday afternoon and will continue through Monday morning.

The governor says 4,000 plows, sanders and salt trucks will be deployed to clear roads. He said trucks already have begun spreading chemical treatments on highways to prevent icing.

And he says utility crews are being made available to respond to possible power outages because the snow is expected to be heavy.

Declaring a state of emergency will allow the governor to mobilize the National Guard if necessary and conduct other emergency business to help local communities respond to the storm.