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HANNIBAL, MO. -- Folks in Hannibal encountered white out conditions on the roads Tuesday.

Visibility was less than a city block at times because of heavy blowing snow.

Hannibal and Marion County are under a state of emergency.  Emergency Management Director John Hark notified the State Emergency Management Agency of his decision Monday.

Meanwhile the emergency operations center is up and running. Owners of snow mobiles like this one are hauling them around - on stand by in case people need to be rescued from areas where trucks and plows can't get in.

Hark urges folks to be patient the next 72 hours as crews fight to clear the highways and streets.  Hark reminds you with 15 to 20 inches of snow possible, the priority is to be able to get emergency responders where they need to be.

Hark said, "Stay in. Number one for your own safety and number two it gives people an opportunity to work and they don't have to fight traffic."

Meanwhile MODOT trucks are hitting the roads hard.  But it takes more than a truck and plow to fight a blizzard like this.

You'll see a lot more of these on area roads in the coming hours and days. But while MODOT trucks will be working to clear roads the best they can, there's a lot going on that you might not know about.

Missouri Department of Transportation employees are working 12-hour shifts until further notice. At the heart of everything is the Emergency Operations Center here at MODOT. Local leaders track all available equipment and determine logistics on what is needed and where. Then every six hours, MODOT officials from across the state hold a teleconference to share information and determine the best ways to combat the snow.

Mark Giessinger is the District Maintenance and Traffic Engineer with MODOT.

Giessinger said, "It's important to know where resources are at and who is low on resources and who may have extra resources."

One of the most important resources are the people behind the plows. There are cots like this and supplies like military MRE's ready for workers who can't make it home and need to sleep.

Meanwhile customer service officials at MODOT are answering phone calls and concerns, while responders in MODOT's communications center use old and new technology from satellites and shortwave radios to track road reports and resources. Giessinger says the department is dragging out equipment that's been in storage just in time to battle the blizzard.

Giessinger said, "This grader hasn't been used in years. And it's the only thing that will get through these drifts."

Click here for a look at Missouri road conditions.