Storm brings region to a halt Wednesday
Three-foot snow drifts, 50 mph gusts notedBy ANGELA BURCH and BILL SHEA Messenger staff writers
The first blizzard of the season greeted Iowa with snow measures over a foot and snow drifts between 2 and 3 feet. Wind gusts measured around 50 miles per hour in some locations in Webster County, according to the Webster County Emergency Management Agency.
Area schools were closed and several sections of county roads and highways were closed for periods of time.
In Webster County, U.S. Highway 20 near Duncombe was closed off Wednesday morning with motorists stranded in the snow, according to Webster County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Tony Jorgensen.
The State Patrol teamed up with the Webster County Sheriff's Office, Fort Dodge D.O.T. and area wrecker companies to get the road back open at about 2:15 p.m. after it was closed for at least 6 hours, said Lt. Kelly Hindman, commander of Post No. 7.
"Certainly the biggest frustration came with those who chose to ignore the continuous warnings to not travel due to these extremely dangerous conditions," Hindman said. "There are no guarantees you will be rescued quickly and it is simply an extremely poor decision to venture out when it could not have been more clear the situation was hazardous."
Assistant Fort Dodge Police Chief Kevin Doty said there were several vehicles stuck in the snow throughout the day, but as of Wednesday afternoon, no major accidents were reported in the city limits.
"People really need to stay off the roads during these kinds of things," Jorgensen said. "You are really taking your life into your own hands.
Snow depths of 14 inches were reported by the National Weather Service for the Fort Dodge area.
Wednesday's wintery blast was bad enough to prevent snow plows from clearing rural roads in Webster County.
Randy Will, the county engineer, said ''tremendous whiteouts'' and heavy blowing snow kept crews from doing full-scale plowing operations. He said some plows did venture out in response to emergency calls, such as cars blocking roads.
As of midafternoon Wednesday, sheriff's deputies reported that the county roads were impassable.
Will said the snow plow crews were expected to hit the roads at 4 a.m. today and continue working until 6 p.m. The paved roads will be the first priority, he said.
Road crews in Fort Dodge were busy all day Wednesday.
''We've been pretty much going at it,'' said Al Dorothy, the public works superintendent.
''The wind is making it real difficult,'' he added.
Dorothy said streets on the edges of the city were especially susceptible to snow drifts whipped up by the wind. Only graders, he said, could break up those drifts.
About 30 Public Works Department employees have been working in shifts to keep the roads open since the storm began Tuesday morning. Dorothy said the first crews went to work at 4 a.m. Tuesday. The snow removal operation was halted from midnight to 4 a.m. Wednesday, when work resumed.
Dorothy said that if the high winds stop, the city streets should be in good condition by noon today.
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