| Stormy start to new year |
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| Local Content - Local News |
| Written by publisher |
| Tuesday, 05 January 2010 19:03 |
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By Wayne Litke Claustre Avenue resident Vince Schell says it’s only the second time in 40 years that residents on the south side of Maple Creek have been stranded by a winter wind storm. High winds packed snow in drifts up to five feet tall. Entire sections of streets disappeared under drifts that could sustain an adult’s weight and easily high-centre any vehicle that was driven into it. Schell noted that the absence of snow fences this year may have contributed to the situation. Vehicles became stuck in drifts and at least one vehicle was abandoned overnight as the wind continued to blow. Although illegal on town streets, only snowmobiles could navigate the massive drifts that formed on the south side of Maple Creek. The high winds and blowing snow made travelling dangerous and as a result The Salvation Army hosted 26 travellers when a Greyhound bus became stranded. Nettie Coderre, manager of Cypress Hills Motor Inn, said Greyhound bus drivers stay overnight at her motel. However, on Jan. 1 not just the bus driver, but all the passengers needed a place to stay. The eastbound bus could not carry on in the treacherous conditions. The motel was full, as were others in town, so Coderre phoned Mayor Barry Rudd to find a place for the travellers to stay. Rudd contacted town administrator Mark Caswell, who is also administrator of emergency services. He called Captain Ed Dean of The Salvation Army. Dean said the overnight guests arrived around 9 p.m. and slept on pews and cots in the chapel and fellowship hall. The Salvation Army has a supply of emergency cots and blankets, and with supplies from the food bank the guests were fed breakfast before departing at 6 a.m. the next morning. Ray and Ava Broderick also provided overnight accommodations for travellers. A young RCMP officer from B.C. along with his wife, two young children and two dogs were travelling home when they became stranded. Since there weren’t any accommodations available in town they were going to sleep in their vehicle. T-X Restaurant owner Doreen Smith phoned Brodericks who happily put them up for the night. The storm also created trouble for the Medicine Hat Tigers. The team was on its way to a game against the Broncos at Swift Current when their bus drove into the storm. They did make it through and the game went ahead after a two-hour delay. A fire truck also got caught in the storm. Firefighter Trent Empey said the fire department responded to a call around 5:30 p.m. regarding a fire at the home of Frankie Horton north of town. In spite of the conditions, Empey’s truck made it to Horton’s place where the fire was under control by the time the crew arrived. A chimney fire in the attic had originated with a wood stove. Damage was minimal. A second fire truck also made it to the scene safely, but got stuck in a snow drift on the way back to town. Help was summoned from the RM and its grader was sent to the scene to clear the way. Jan. 2 was a much different day: Mother Nature had partied until she was pooped and the sun quickly warmed the air to a balmy 3 C. Like gophers in the spring, residents began emerging from their dwellings and began digging out. They braved the snow pack on snowshoes, ATVs, and one brave soul was spotted on a bicycle! For many, digging manually was not an option due to the depth of the snow. Those folks had no choice and simply waited for town employees and other residents operating snow-removal equipment. Led by town foreman Greg McDonald, the clean up began with a front-end loader, a tractor-mounted snow blower, and a back hoe equipped with a bucket on the front. With the streets covered in an icy base from higher than anticipated precipitation in December, snow removal equipment had difficulty maintaining traction. Without chains on tires, equipment tended to spin out and numerous attempts were required to push through streets that resembled snow-covered fields. With the 400 and 500 blocks of Claustre Avenue totally impassible, an alternate route to the community rink was established once the south end of Herbert Street was cleared. The east end of Fifth Avenue which was also blocked by snow was barricaded to prevent motorists from attempting to drive through. As the battle to regain control of streets was slowly under way, Mother Nature played her trump card and began lowering the temperature once again. By the end of the day the thermometer was at -16 C. The start of 2010–a new decade–began much as the previous year which was strangely devoid of chinooks that typically shorten winter (at least mentally) and make the season much more bearable for Maple Creek residents.
A front-end loader plows through wheel-deep snow at the east end of Claustre Avenue January 2. Photo by Wayne Litke
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