Josh Stein issued a state of emergency Thursday before this weekend’s winter storm hits North Carolina. Stein's declaration is separate from the one he issued before last weekend's ice storm. The state of emergency ensures the state qualifies if federal is needed to respond or recover from this winter weather event and to activate the State Emergency Response Team. He said it's his understanding no one died in a traffic crash during last weekend's ice storm. Stein added that he was "pleased" with the White House's response before last weekend's storm.