snow fell across the puget sound. rising floodwaters closed a 20-mile stretch of a major interstate, and there were at least 21 water rescues. the storm in the east came just as several states were experiencing a critical shortage of snow plow drivers. has the snow plow industry faced something like this before? >> i don't think so. >> reporter: massachusetts contractor bill french says rising costs, and a labor shortage worsened by covid have made his work challenging. >> covid has, obviously, affected everybody. even if you have the equipment ready there is the ambiguity of who will be able to work and who isn't. it's kind of a perfect storm. >> reporter: a rapid cleanup is critical here because a band of cold air, frigid air is expected to move into this area turning those wet and slushy roads into ice overnight with cold temperatures expected to last into tomorrow and possibly early sunday, norah. >> o'donnell: that ice is scary. all right, nancy chen, thank you. well, now to the fight against covid. the omicron variant is fueling the surge in hospitalization of